


Rushing Back To You

by bewaretheboojum



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Fluff, Future Fic, Kon Is demi, M/M, Smut, Tim is a journalist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 85,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewaretheboojum/pseuds/bewaretheboojum
Summary: Tim's an investigative journalist looking into an ecological oddity. Kon is a refugee from one of Luthor's Labs, trying to find his place. They both end up in a glowing lake and crime-fighting/investigative journalism ensues. Peej helps, Bernard doesn't, Bart makes chili, and Kal sometimes brings donuts while he mother-hens.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 125
Kudos: 186





	1. Chapter 1 - Holey Sneakers And The Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to Bumpkin | Marns for the Beta help!

Tim’s foot slipped in loose gravel as he ran and he scrambled to keep his balance. Barely avoiding skidding out into a fall, Tim paused for a minute to catch his breath.

As he panted, he could feel the heat of the sidewalk seeping through the worn out sole of his sneaker. 

Tim needed new shoes. The pair he was wearing tonight were a little too small for him and he had worn a small hole in the sole of the left one. He had noticed the hole in third period gym class a few weeks ago but he couldn’t get them replaced until his parents got home from Haiti. That wouldn’t be for another couple of weeks, so Tim had been making do. He tried to ignore the sharp press of rocks into the thin sole of his shoe as padded down a side road and ducked into an alley.

Looking up, Tim caught sight of a bright yellow cape flashing as Robin swung across a rooftop two blocks over. Pursing his lips, Tim tucked his camera tight against his chest and took off at a jog down the street, toward the brilliant flash of color.

It was the height of summer and the air quality in Gotham City was not great. Tim was panting and wheezing when he rounded a corner and finally caught sight of the Batmobile.

The night was warm, even though the sun had been down for hours, the temperature hadn't dropped much below the mideighties. The streets smelled of overheated macadam and fetid garbage. Exhaust from all the vehicles driving through Gotham every day hung low and heavy, it made the air feel thick in Tim's lungs.

Ducking behind a couple of tall trash cans, Tim looked around, trying to see if he could find a sign of where Batman and Robin had gone. He had been tracking them for a few hours now and had lost them about twenty minutes ago. 

The villains of Gotham would be surprised to hear that Batman did, in fact, have a pattern in his nightly routine. Tim learned years ago that if he settled on top of the dormer above his bedroom window and looked out toward Wayne Manor, he could see the Batmobile come out from the 'Cave every night around eleven. If he watched closely and carefully, he could see which part of the city Batman was headed towards.

Then, when Mrs. Mac had left for the night, Tim would still have enough time to grab his ten-speed and take off into the city after Batman. Tim didn't always manage to find him, he was successful maybe three out of ten times he tried. But tonight Tim had been lucky.

His bike was chained to a fence in front of a parking lot about a half a mile away. Tim had been on foot for a while now, tracking Batman and Robin through the streets and alleyways. Tonight, it hadn't been that hard. Poison Ivy wasn't being subtle as she made her way through the city.

Behind the trash cans, Tim tried to listen closely for sounds of Batman and Robin, but at first he was panting too hard to hear anything else over it. When his breathing finally quieted enough, Tim could faintly catch the sounds of a fight just on the other side of a four-story apartment building across the street from where he was hiding.

Tim caught sight of a fire escape twisting up to the roof of the building. Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Tim took off at a run. He had to jump to reach the bottom rung of the fire escape and he barely managed to reach it.

He was breathless again by the time he got to the top of the building and levered himself onto the roof. Following the sound of combat, Tim made his way to the eastern corner of the building. Clutching the wall that was up around the roof to keep people from falling off, Tim looked eagerly down at the street below.

Poison Ivy was facing off with Batman and Robin. Large vines whipped around them, knocking into lamp posts and parked cars. Tim brought his camera up to his face and snapped a couple of photos as Batman and Robin ducked and dodged.

The lighting wasn’t perfect but, this was probably the best vantage he was going to get tonight.

Tim could smell the thick, pungent scent of the sap from the vines as Robin sliced through them with his batarangs. He felt his heart pounding and his throat get tight as he watched. He took picture after picture, framing each shot as carefully as he could with how quickly everyone was moving.

Ivy finally fled, Batman taking off after her as Robin stayed behind to take care of the wildly flailing plant. Robin struggled to get in close enough to the roots of the plant to stop it. It took him almost twenty minutes before he managed to subdue the plant. When the thing was finally just squirming limply on the ground, Robin paused to talk into his com.

Tim took advantage of the momentary lapse in movement to quickly switch out the spent film reel in his camera. His fingers moved with swift familiarity over the camera, flicking latches and pressing pieces into place. When he was finished, he tucked the filled roll into his back pocket as he took back off toward the fire escape. He was eyeing Robin, who was still talking to Batman over his com, when he climbed up on the barrier at the edge of the roof.

Tucking his camera close to his chest again, Tim jumped down off the barrier wall and onto the metal fire escape below. Catching his balance, Tim looked down to find the first rung of the ladder.

It was the sound that was the first indicator to Tim that something wasn't right with the fire escape. A loud screeching noise cut through the silence of the night and then Tim felt the fire escape start to move under his feet.

Panic shot through Tim and he threw out his hand to grab on to the railing of the fire escape. The metal structure pulled back away from the building and started to topple down toward the ground.

Tim's breath left him in a soundless shout as his brain tried to process the level of danger he was in. Just before the metal structure around him hit the far wall of the next building over, Tim felt an arm come around him from behind.

Suddenly, Tim felt himself pulled tight to a firm chest as the fire escape crashed down into the alley below.

There was a series of shouts as residents of both apartment buildings poked their heads out of windows and yelled to each other in surprise.

"Hang on," Robin's voice said in Tim's ear and Tim didn't need to be told twice, he clung on for dear life.

Tim shut his eyes tight and his stomach knotted with anxiety as he felt himself swinging through the air. He felt a dull thud as Robin touched down on the sidewalk, releasing Tim.

Tim fell to his hands and knees, panting with fear, the grit of the hot sidewalk digging into his palms. He tilted his head up to look at Robin.

The street light was directly above them, it looked like a halo around Robin's head. His thick, dark hair was curling around his ears and the base of his neck in the humidity. There was a smear of green sap across the red of his uniform vest and sweat made his face seem to glow in the light of the street lamps.

"Jesus, kid. What were you doing up there?" Robin asked, breathlessly.

His voice was...

Tim had never gotten close enough to Robin while he was on the street to hear him, but he had heard Jason Todd dozens of times at boring parties he went to with his parents, during Trick or Treat at Wayne Manor, and on the television during interviews.

Robin's voice was deeper than Jason's. It was harsher, raspier in a way that made the skin at the back of Tim’s neck prick.

"I--" Tim stammered and then shook his head, trying to think of something to say.

Robin reached out a gauntleted hand to help Tim up.

Tim took it, the leather of the glove felt thick and stiff, plant sap made it feel sticky against Tim's skin. Robin pulled Tim to his feet and Tim stumbled to catch his balance.

Robin didn't let go of his hand when Tim finally found his footing. He just squeezed Tim's fingers until he looked up into Robin's face.

"What were you doing up there?" Robin asked again, this time there was an edge of danger to his voice.

Tim swallowed and pulled his hand away, shaking his head again as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He tugged at the strap around his neck, drawing attention to his, thankfully undamaged, camera

"Art-- Art project," Tim stammered out, reaching desperately for a lie. "I was taking pictures of the Gotham Skyline for an art project and..."

Tim gestured lamely at the fallen fire escape and trailed off.

Robin turned to look at it too and let out a soft, frustrated breath.

"Yeah well, tell your art teacher that Robin gave you and A for effort and go the fuck home."

"Yeah-- Yeah, I mean-- I--"

Robin lifted a hand to cut Tim off and listened to something coming in over his comlink.

"Got it," Robin said into the com and then turned back to Tim.

"Thank-- Thank you..."

"Kid," Robin said, apparently the fact that they were almost the same age was totally lost on him, "go the fuck home."

Then Robin was gone, taking off after Batman, and Tim...

Tim went the fuck home.

Adrenaline had sapped him of all energy and he felt heavy limbed and exhausted as he rode his ten-speed home. When he got back to his house, Tim tucked his camera safely away and took the hottest shower he could stand, hoping it would wash off the grit of the night, the fear sweat, and the sensation of falling out into an abyss.

Tim had pulled on his pajamas and had just climbed into bed when he heard the front door downstairs open. Alarmed, Tim glanced at the clock by the side of his bed. It was getting close to one in the morning. No one should be in the house but him.

Alarm was just starting to creep over him when Mrs. Mac's voice echoed through the house.

"Tim...?" she called to him a tight, tentative tone of voice. "Tim?"

Tim called to her that he was in bed and she knocked gently, as she always did, before venturing into his room.

"Tim..." Mrs. Mac said again as she came to sit at the edge of Tim's bed. Tim noticed then how disheveled she was. She was always dressed smartly in her uniform when she came over to cook and clean. Now she was wearing faded flannel pajamas and robe, her feet tucked into Wellington boots. Her cheeks looked pink and her eyes were misty as she spoke.

"Oh my sweet, boy," she husked to him. "I'm so sorry."

"What-- What happened?" Tim stammered. "Mrs. Mac?"

"Oh Tim, they tried to call you but you must have been asleep."

"Mrs. Mac, what happened?"

"Oh my boy, something terrible-- something terrible happened in Haiti."

She told him then, in a stammering, tearful way.

She told him all the things Tim should have been home to hear himself from the doctors in Haiti.

She told him that while Tim had been out, chasing Batman and Robin, his mother had died on the operating table and his father had slipped into a coma.

Tim...

Tim couldn't bring himself to say anything in response, so Mrs. Mac just hugged him tight and promised him that everything was going to be ok.

But Tim knew she was lying.

^*^*^*^*^

He barely registered the prick of the needle in his skin. He was so used to it by now that the small pains, the small indignities, barely registered with him anymore.

It wasn't until he saw the intent faces of the scientists, watching him keenly through their protective glasses, that he realized this needle prick might be different.

The realization something bad was about to happen hit him just about ten minutes before the rest of it started.

At first, it was just a mild discomfort. He felt nauseous, his mouth watered as he fought down the urge to dry heave, his skin suddenly felt very warm and then...

Then it felt like his blood was on fire.

A searing, terrifying heat pulsed within him, making his veins feel like they were melting and his muscles contract and flex in pain.

He wanted to scream.

He tried to scream.

But his vocal cords felt like they had dissolved in his throat and breathing in enough air to scream just brought a hot, stabbing pain in his lungs.

Everything hurt.

It hurt so much he couldn’t think. All he could process was the fire running along his nerves and the fear and the uncertainty.

It was too much pain, too much to process and he just didn't know if it would ever stop.

If it would happen again.

If this meant...

If this was finally the end.

He wondered fleetingly if this was what dying felt like. 

Bucking up from the hospital bed he had been bound to, he felt his restraints rip up from the floor.

He could hear the scientists. They were calling to him but he couldn't make out the words past the agony coursing through him, the rushing in his ears, the pound of blood in his head.

Acting more on instinct than anything else, he just moved. Knocking people aside, rushing through wooden lab benches, glass doors, cement walls he rushed through every obstacle to just...

Get away.

He pushed past the pain and tried to move forward. Move away.

The cut of the glass, the blunt trauma of the cement walls, the splintered wood rubbing rough against his skin barely registered as he instinctively pushed his way outside.

The cold wind hit him as soon as he crashed through the outer wall of the building where he had been held.

The cutting bite of a winter air hit him in a rush and he stopped in his tracks, just outside the building. There was chaos just behind him as he blinked up into the sunlight.

He had...

He had never been outside before.

He had never seen the sun.

Despite the pain, he took a moment to take it all in, to feel the wind and the sun and the--

A hand came down on his shoulder and he spun to face a furious scientist. The man had another syringe in his hand and he felt panic shoot through him all in a rush.

His heart pounding in his chest, his breath came faster and suddenly, just before the needle plunged into his skin, something snapped up and around him like tight fabric. The needle bent and the scientist swore and he felt the sunlight pouring in and through him.

Pulling back away from the scientist, he moved out of the shadows and further into the sunlight. Instinctively, he kicked up, leaping into the air and feeling the sky ripple around him as he took flight.

He took off, up into the sky, moving higher and higher, watching the building and the people beneath him get smaller and smaller as the sun got warmer and warmer and suddenly...

Suddenly the wounds on his skin that were seeping blood closed, suddenly the heat in his blood faded, suddenly he felt stronger and warmer and better than he ever had before.

Suddenly, and almost for the first time in his life, there was no pain.

The sky was brilliant and blue and spread out before him in a glorious and unencumbered stretch of nothing.

No walls.

No people.

Just clouds and cold wind and sunshine.

He hovered there, in the sky, taking in the heat and warmth of the sun for the first time in his life.

Breathing felt different now.

New.

Easier.

Better.

The sky felt clean and the air was fresh.

His breathing evened out and the blood dried on his skin.

He was so high that the sounds of the world below had faded away and all he could hear was the whipping wind all around him.

He couldn't say how long he stayed up there, drinking in the sun and the wind and the indescribable feeling of the absence of pain. It felt like a profound sort of peaceful silence. 

It might have been hours and it probably was. The sun was starting to set when he realized that...

He had nowhere to go.

He couldn't go back there. Not ever. Not now that he knew what it felt like to be without the pain, to feel the heat of the sun and the wild energy of the wind.

What it felt like to be free.

He swallowed hard and thought about the lab.

He thought about the scientists.

He thought about how they would look for him.

How they would find him.

How they would know where he was.

They seemed to know everything...

He wasn't safe.

They would find him no matter where he went. They could have ways of finding him, tracking him.

Panic flooded through him and he felt his eyes prick with fearful tears.

Trying hard to control his breathing he thought.

He thought about the reason he had been created.

He thought about...

Superman.

Listening closely, he tried hard to see if he could hear...

And he did.

A voice speaking softly. Speaking to Superman gently, calling Superman’s name, explaining... something.

He didn't listen close enough to hear.

He just flew.

He flew until he caught sight of a bright red cape.

Then he just acted on instinct.

Superman was standing, watching over the city. Superman’s face was full of surprise when he fell to his hands and knees at his feet.

Gasping, the feel of the cold winter air in his lungs and mouth still felt strange, he tried to speak but all that came out was a broken sob.

"Please--" he finally managed, his voice ragged and broken. "Please-- Please--"

Superman dropped his knees beside him, cupping his shoulder and he tried not to flinch away. He looked up at Superman through tear-filled eyes.

"Please--" he gasped again.

"What happened? Are you alright? What can I do?" Superman asked, looking scared. Looking worried.

"Please, I know-- I know you have no reason to but please," he broke off again then, sobbing and shaking. "Please, help me."

Superman cupped his face in two strong, firm hands. Superman looked deeply into his face with eyes eerily similar to his own. The calm, firm expression made him feel... suddenly less afraid.

Less alone.

"Yes. I'll help. Just tell me what you need. Tell me what you need and I'll help."

And suddenly, for the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid anymore.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

**Fifteen years later**

It was Trivia Night.

If he was being honest with himself, Tim wasn't a huge fan of Trivia Night. But it had, tragically, become a tradition over the past few years. He made the mistake of agreeing to be on a team with Ives, Hudson, and Callie a few years back when they were in a pinch for a fourth. He had never really managed to figure out a way to weasel off the team after that. After a while, he decided to trick Bernard into joining as well, just so someone else on the team was as miserable as he was. 

So now, once a month, Tim dragged himself and Bernard to a dingy basement bar in his neighborhood, drank beer, pretended to know more about pop culture than he actually did. He only really tried hard enough to keep Callie from throwing nachos at him.

The bar tonight wasn't as crowded as usual. It looked like the weather was keeping all but the most devoted crowd away. The day had been full of that chilly sort of constant rain that made Gotham feel soggy and smell like disintegrating old garbage. Tim's shoes were damp and his hair was still wet from his brief walk from the train station to the bar. He shivered as he took a tentative sip of his beer, wishing it was a hot cup of coffee instead of a Pilsner he didn’t actually want.

"Alright dear citizens of Gotham City," Bernard intoned in his best theater voice. "What shall we order for the table: Nachos, cheese fries, onion rings, or wings?"

"My vote is for nachos," Ives said, peering down at his menu, his glasses still rain spotted.

"No surprise there," Hudson said wryly, shooting Callie a knowing look. “Your vote is always for nachos. If we went to a fancy French restaurant you would ask if they made nachos.”

Callie didn't look up from her cell phone, but she still smiled at Hudson's joke. He wasn’t wrong and Ives was nothing if not predictable. And also a huge fan of nachos. 

"One: I’m sure there’s some fancy French version of nachos. Probably made with brie or something stinky. And two: The nachos here are good," Ives said indignantly.

"The nachos here are mediocre at best, my friend," Bernard put in “This makes me wonder if you have ever had good nachos.”

"Who invited you, again?" Ives asked Bernard for probably the millionth time.

"That would be me," Tim chimed in. "And I'm not sorry. He often saves me from mediocre nachos. So I feel I've made the correct decision."

Ives shot him a betrayed look and Tim innocently took another sip of his beer.

"Exactly, Timmy my boy," Bernard crowed, throwing an affectionate arm over Tim's shoulder.

Callie looked up from her phone just long enough to roll her eyes at them.

"You do need to stop it with the 'Timmy' though, man." 

"I think the past decade or so have proven that I will not," Bernard said, taking a sip of beer and smiling smugly at Tim.

Tim took a deep breath and sighed. He should be used to it by now but--

When they were in high school, Tim had initially hung out with Bernard because… Well because Bernard was a force of nature. 

When his dad had forced him into yet another last minute school transfer, Tim had resigned himself to a mostly friendless highschool experience. He had moved high schools over and over again because of his father, and Bernard had been the only one to even try to befriend Tim when he eventually landed at Louis Grieves. 

Bernard had been just as ebullient back then and Tim had been trying to figure out how to detach himself from the guy when the gang war happened and their school turned into a war zone some time between second and third period.

After the shooting at their highschool, after the funerals and hospital visits, after walking past the spot where Darla died and Eddie lost most of his arm, Bernard and Tim had bonded over mutual trauma and grief.

They had stayed closed through the rest of high school and then all through college. Bernard was the only friend he kept in close touch with. Whereas Ives, Callie and Hudson had left Gotham for college, Tim and Bernard had stayed in the city. Tim went to Ivy and Bernard went to Hudson University. Bernard and Tim met up at least once a week for beers or a movie night, even after they graduated.

Bernard had even been the one to suggest to Tim that he take up journalism when he was feeling directionless in college. He had put Tim in contact with a family friend who wrote for the Gazette. The woman gave Tim the internship that had turned into a full time gig working on investigative pieces at the Gazette. He worked hard at the paper. He stayed late, came in early and moved up quickly. Tim had made some national headlines, won a couple of awards, got noticed by the mayor and a couple of senators.

Things had been going well. He had just finished wrapping up the loose ends of his last story. If he was being honest, he was feeling a little burnt out and not really sure what to work on now that he was leaving the corruption story he had been working on for over a year behind.

Tim was struggling to find his next big thing, feeling a little writer’s block and a lot of stress. His editor was riding him to pursue some of the ideas he had been pitching but none of them felt quite right to Tim.

Nothing seemed to be clicking for him these days.

Bernard ordered them nachos and another round of beers and Ives took a couple of minutes to put in their Trivia Team name.

"Ooooohhhh, look at him," Callie cooed, scrolling through her Chirper feed.

"Look at who?" Hudson said, sounding both interested and a little offended.

"Superman and Rush," Callie said, lifting her phone to show them all a picture of Superman and Rush, standing together.

"Rush?" Bernard asked, interestedly, peering over at the screen.

"The superhero?" Hudson asked. “He’s in Metropolis these days, right?

Rush had been in the caped community since Tim had been a teenager. He was a man about their age, mid to late twenties. Or at least he was their age if Kryptonians aged at the same rate as humans, which, Callie would be quick to point out, wasn’t a given. 

In the picture Callie showed them, he was standing next to Superman who was smiling at him affectionately. Rush was holding four kittens, two in each of his very big hands. He was hovering about six inches off the street and smiling down at kittens. He had a kind, gentle expression on his face as he held them close to his broad, well muscled chest.

His uniform set him apart from Superman quite starkly. While Superman wore bright colors, Rush’s uniform was a deep, midnight blue with a symbol emblazoned on it in white. The symbol was something esoteric and geometric. A diamond, a dot and a line all clustered together. He had a long black cape and knee high black boots.

"He is a very nice piece of superhero," Bernard conceded thoughtfully, eyeing the picture.

Tim privately agreed with Bernard but was not about to encourage Callie to keep stalking superheroes on the web. That, Tim had learned long ago, was not a healthy habit.

One of the reasons Tim had bonded with Callie and Hudson when they were kids was the mutual love of superheroes. Callie and Hudson were happy to just stay glued to the web, reading forums and message boards about the caped community. Tim on the other hand… 

He had been in the whole thing a little deeper.

Tim had been obsessed with Batman and Robin for as long as he could remember. He read and watched everything he could about them. When he was about eight, he realized that Batman’s new partner had been an acrobat he had seen at Haley’s Circus when he was about five. Dick Grayson, the youngest of the Flying Graysons, had promised to do an aerial stunt that night just for him. A quadruple somersault. 

Tim had been thrilled. Dick had been so bright, so affectionate when they met. Tim watched avidly during the act for the somersault that Dick had promised. Dick did do the trick for him, just as he promised. He waved right at Tim while he did it, a big grin on his face. The moment had burned into Tim’s mind.

So had the moments after when Dick’s parents had fallen and fallen and fallen... 

It had been vivid and traumatic. Tim could still remember Dick’s cries of anguish as he rushed to his parents. 

Tim’s parents had hurried him out of the tent and taken him home. They never spoke of it again but Tim… 

Tim couldn’t ever forget.

And when he saw a video of Batman and Robin a few years later, a video where Robin did the exact same somersault he had promised to Tim, he had done the math and became even more obsessed.

It didn’t take long before Tim figured out Batman’s secret identity as well and when that happened everything else fell into place. It wasn’t hard to deduce from there who the rest of the Bats were. 

Tim had never told a soul what he had discovered, he never showed anyone the pictures he took of Batman and Robin as they snuck around the rooftops of Gotham City while his parents traveled. He never said a word to anyone. All the pictures he took were on film, no digital. He had developed them himself.

The thrill of following Batman and Robin wore off after a while, when Dick was gone and then the new Robin, Jason, died…

Tim couldn’t bear to watch Batman out there essentially slowly killing himself.

So Tim stopped following and he stopped watching. 

"Alright," Ives said, coming back to the table and sliding back into the booth next to them. "The Werewolf Stalkers are all registered. Here's our booklet. Who is the keeper this week?"

"I am," Hudson answered, holding out his hand for the booklet. "Who is in charge of making sure Callie stays off her phone during the game."

"That would be me," Tim said with a sigh. "You've got fifteen minutes, Callie. Then you will need to surrender the device."

Callie gave him a dirty look and rolled her eyes at all of them.

"You're all just jealous that my Chirper feed has more pretty boys in it."

Hudson gave Callie a hurt look and was about to say something when Bernard cut in, obviously trying to circumvent a fight.

"Speaking of pretty Chirper feeds. Tim, those pics you took in Robinson Park were beautiful. How did you get those aerial shots of the flowers."

"Mmmmm," Tim hummed thoughtfully while taking a long pull off his beer. "After the last time the Batfolks chased Poison Ivy out of the park, they left behind a few of her plants. One of them is this big viney thing that's really easy to climb--"

"Hold on, excuse me," Callie cut in with a sharp gesture of her hand. "You're giving me shit for looking at pictures of superheroes on Chirper while Tim here is climbing vines left by Poison Ivy to take pictures of flowers she left behind? I think between the two of us, he's the one we need to be watching."

"Tim’s nigh quotidian habit of rushing in where angels fear to tread doesn't impact Trivia Night, Callie," Ives pointed out glibly.

"No, it only results in me getting late night calls to pick him up from the ER," Bernard said grimly, eyeing Tim seriously.

"That only happened once," Tim said defensively.

"It has happened three times since I've known you," Bernard corrected him with a glare. The glowering expression on his face melted quickly into worry and he reached out a hand to pat Tim's.

"Callie's right. Please be more careful. I know you don't always have a choice when you're chasing a story. God knows we're all relieved that you haven't taken to being thrown from tall buildings like Lois Lane. But your job is dangerous enough without you tempting fate recreationally."

"Ok, I'll stop playing with the creepy vines in the park," Tim promised reluctantly.

It was frustrating how much Bernard fussed and worried over him. Tim understood why. After coming out of what was essentially a war zone together when they were sixteen, both were hyper aware of the dangers their city held. It was just that...

Bernard had taken a nice, boring, low-paying job at a non-profit helping impoverished families in the city. His job was boring, his hobbies were boring, he drank the same coffee every day, biked to work along the same route and he hadn't changed the type of sneakers he wore in almost a decade.

Tim on the other hand worked as an investigative reporter. He had fallen off of a roof, been thrown into some scaffolding, and had been threatened with lawsuits. As Bernard had so kindly reminded him, those things had gotten him sent to the ER three times in the last five years. Tim moved at least once a year, never fully settling anywhere. He never went out on a date with anyone more than two or three times and he had like six different pairs of Allbirds and he couldn’t decide which one he liked the most.

Tim and Bernard had taken very different paths after Louis Grieves.

Their nachos came and they all started in on them. Mediocre or not, Tim had skipped lunch and he was starving.

"You know what would be great for some nice, safe pictures?" Berard said, pulling a couple of nachos on to his plate. "A friend of mine, he works at an environmental non-profit in Metropolis, he said that there's this amazing algae bloom at a lake just outside the city. The algae is bioluminescent. He said it looks absolutely amazing at night."

"Is it on private property?" Callie asked suspiciously.

Bernard shrugged and ate a nacho.

"He never said. He's taken pictures of the place himself. So I can't imagine it's inaccessible."

"That actually sounds beautiful," Tim said. "I didn't realize we had bioluminescent algae around here. I thought it was more common in warmer climates."

"Probably not," Hudson put in, his voice tinged with disgust. "It's probably not even algae. It's probably some radioactive slime from LexCorp."

"That would not be surprising," Tim said grimly.

It took some coaxing, but Tim managed to grab Callie's phone away from her just a few minutes before the trivia game started. They tucked all their phones into Bernard's backpack and then turned their attention to the game.

They came in second place and the prize was a free plate of nachos. Everyone groaned while Ives air high fived everyone else in the room. When they retrieved their phones, Bernard pulled up a text from his friend with a picture attached.

"Here," Bernard said, holding up his phone for them all to look at. "It doesn't look like slime to me."

It was gorgeous. There was enough moonlight that the reflection of it on the lake was large and vivid. The lightly glowing, slightly green algae looked like eerie puffy clouds around the reflection of the moon.

"It actually looks beautiful," Tim said. "I mean, he’s clearly taking the pictures from outside of a fence and your friend needs some better lenses for taking photos in the dark, but--"

"Tim, please tell me you're not going to trespass on a potentially radioactive lake at night to take pictures," Hudson put in.

"I make no promises to anyone," Tim replied.

They all threw their dirty napkins at him.

After they all called it a night, Bernard and Tim walked back towards their apartments together, Bernard pushing his bike alongside them. The rain had let up and wind had blown through the city, sweeping the clouds out to sea. Tim and Bernard had their jackets zipped up tight and their hoods pulled up over their heads. Tim stuffed his hands in his pockets for warmth and walked at a brisk pace. It was one of their rare nights when the moon could be seen rising over the skyscrapers in Gotham as it peeked in and out of the drifting clouds.

"So real talk, if you do go to that lake for pictures call me. Don't go alone," Bernard said as they walked.

"Bernard, I’m sure it's fine. Your friend got out alive, didn't he?"

"I mean yeah, but I like you more than I like him," Bernard said, tilting over slightly to bump his shoulder against Tim's as they walked.

Tim hummed noncommittally and they talked about Callie's crush on Nightwing until they came to Bernard's building.

"Text me when you get back to your place," Bernard cautioned, giving Tim a quick hug and wave goodbye.

"I will," Tim promised and gave Bernard an airy wave before moving back towards his own building.

It didn't take Tim long to get back to his place. He swiped his building pass and waved a greeting to the dozing doorman. Tim took the steps up to his apartment slowly, tired from what had been a long day.

He had gotten to the office at six in the morning so he could make some international calls for a lead on a story he was trying to work. The whole thing was falling apart quickly as potential witnesses refused to speak to him on the record one after another.

Tim was bone tired and feeling a little hopeless.

When he finally got to his front door, Tim keyed open his lock. He tossed his work bag and keys in a large wicker basket by the door and hung his coat on the hook. The sound of the door shutting behind him echoed loudly through his apartment.

Tim shut his eyes and took a deep breath before turning on the light and kicking off his shoes.

Tim had moved into an apartment complex that had been made up of converted warehouse buildings. He had picked it out based more on the square footage than anything else. The place was huge and industrial. He had wood floors, high ceilings, large bay windows and not much else. It was big, empty and echoey.

The space felt a little barren and Tim had put up prints of his favorite pictures. Then Bernard had helped him hang up a few tapestries and they put out a few throw rugs, but nothing seemed to help fill the space.

Despite it all, Tim’s apartment looked perpetually like it was just about to be moved into. 

Tim sighed and texted Bernard that he was home as he headed into the bedroom. He pulled off his work clothes and tossed them into a hamper before heading in to take a shower. He tried hard to let the very hot water wash away the stress of the day.

Tim had been working for the Gazette for a few years now. He had made a bit of a name for himself for the investigative reporting work her did and the accompanied photo spreads he created. He was convinced that his special insight on the stories really helped him understand how to set up the photos to complement and enhance his storytelling.

His last story had been a human interest piece about what happened to a group of friends who had been unhoused after their rent had been increased. They had then been forced out of the shelters due to budget cuts in Gotham City. The budget cuts had happened because a city council member was pushing the cash to a new construction project. The contract for the construction project had been given to the council member’s wife's brother.

It was a pretty clear cut case of corruption once Tim had made all the connections. A case of corruption that had left people without homes. Half the city council had resigned and all existing contracts were under review by an outside auditing group. When they finally dug in to the work Tim had done, the senator of the state was implicated and--

The whole thing was pretty serious.

Tim had worked for months on this story, pounding the pavement, interviewing witnesses, taking pictures, doing background research and writing draft after draft after draft. He had been working 80 hour weeks for the past six months and now that the story was published and he was back to the initial planning stages for a new story. He was feeling a little burnt out and not sure how to move on to something new.

He had put his heart and soul in his last story. He had gotten high praise from a number of sources. His boss had put it up for another local journalism award. Lois Lane had messaged him on Chirper, complimenting him on his work.

Now Tim was worried that nothing else on his plate would potentially come close to that story.

Maybe Bernard was right. Maybe he should switch his focus for a little while. Follow a few leads here and there but take some time to let his brain relax a little. Spend more time away from his computer and out of the office. Take some pictures of something other than hopeless people, maybe check out that bioluminescent algae.

Tim turned off the taps and toweled off with a sigh. He pulled on a pair of loose fitting pajamas and climbed into bed. He had been having trouble sleeping for the past few nights, his mind working too hard to actually let him drift off.

Tim was more exhausted than he could describe, but sleep eluded him. So he let his mind wander to the one thing that always helped him slip off to sleep.

Tim thought back to those late nights he had spent chasing yellow capes and black boots across Gotham, snapping pictures from the shadows. Chasing Batman and Robin had always left him feeling exhausted and proud of himself. Even now the Pavlovian effects of the memories helped him drift off to sleep. 

And with Robin's grinning face fresh in his mind, Tim finally slept.


	2. Chapter 2 - Lakes and Labs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon falls into a lake and Tim has a bad night.

Krypto was full of energy today.

He was flying far out in front of Kon, using the air currents to hurry his flight along. Kon smiled as Krypto let out a happy yip and took off even faster.

It had been a brisk, beautiful day in Metropolis. After some rain that afternoon, the sky was changing from a brilliant blue to a spread of pink and orange and purple as day melted into night. A nice breeze came in from off the bay and the air smelled clean and fresh. The sun was setting off in the distance glinting off the bright white puffy clouds in the sky.

It was days like these that Kon reveled in being free, flying through the sky with nothing and no one confining him to the ground.

Kon had spent most of the rainy afternoon working. He did gig work, sometimes using his super-speed to help him complete dozens of tasks in a short period of time. Between what he had gotten done yesterday and this afternoon, he had done enough work to keep his expenses covered for the next two weeks or so. Provided nothing unexpected came up. So now…

Now he was free to fly.

Kon watched the people in the bustling city below rushing home from their nine to five jobs and was relieved he never had to be cooped up in a building for most of the day. It didn't seem to bother Kal or Lois, but the idea of going to the same place and doing the same thing day after day after day made a thrill of dread run down Kon's spine.

Turning his attention back to Krypto, Kon took off after him, rushing to catch up to the happily yipping dog.

"Hey, boy," Kon called to him. "Slow it down."

Krypto just barked back at him in response.

Kon laughed and chased after him, dodging cloud banks and birds and enjoying the feel of the wind against his skin.

If Kon could spend every moment of his life outside in the sunshine, he would. Jon, on the other hand, was more than happy to stay inside and play video games from sunrise to sunset.

Kon had spent way too many of his formative years cooped up inside a stuffy laboratory with people poking him, prodding him and telling him what to do and where to go. Now that he was free of all that, Kon liked to spend as much time as he could in the sky. Most people thought of their homes as safe havens but Kon always felt safest in the air, far above anyone who could hurt him. 

While Kon knew that Kal, Jon, and Kara hadn’t had an easy path, he couldn’t help but feel that they had all been relatively lucky. They had been surrounded by people who wanted to keep them safe and happy almost since the first moment they arrived on Earth. 

Kon, on the other hand… 

He was afraid almost from the first minute he had been decanted. There had been no one there to love him, to offer him comfort, solace, or stability. Kon had to fight for his freedom, fight for his safety, work to understand and connect with his Kryptonian roots and strive for a life of peace and happiness.

Kon felt fortunate, grateful, that Kal and his family had helped with all of that. But it had been a tough few years before Kon had broken free and gone to find Kal for help. 

Krypto let out a loud bark, pulling Kon out of his distracted reverie. 

Stopping in midair, Kon hovered and looked over to where Krypto had stopped. It was only then that Kon realized how far outside the city they had gone. The land below them was mostly green, there were a few industrial buildings and warehouses but almost no cars or people around. They must have been miles from the city limits.

Krypto let out another vicious bark before shooting off in a blur of white and red down toward earth. Furrowing his brows, his stomach knotting in concern, Kon took off after Krypto.

When he finally caught up to Krypto, Kon saw that he was facing off with something that looked big, hairy, and mean. The creature was a large, almost wolf-like animal. It growled deep in its chest, baring its teeth at Krypto. Thick, patchy fur-covered parts of his body in dark spots, its eyes glinted with yellow fire. Large fangs poked out of his mouth and foamy spit rimmed his snout.

It was growling, snarling at Krypto as it stood protectively hunched in front of a large dead deer. The deer's body had been ripped to pieces and scattered around an area along the bank of a large lake. At least Kon hoped it was just a deer. It was kind of hard to tell at this point.

The creature dove at Krypto with a broken, guttural bark, jaws spread wide to bite. Kon rushed in just as the creature tried to dig its teeth into Krypto's neck.

With a broken off shout, Kon dove in between them, hitting the creature with his shoulder and pushing it off and away from Krypto. It let out a snarling howl as Kon kicked it up and away, launching it into some nearby brush. 

Hurrying over to Krypto, Kon checked to make sure he wasn't injured. Krypto huffed out a reassuring yip before taking off again, dashing towards the rustling bracken the creature was trying to fight its way out of. 

Kon followed quickly behind Krypto, eyeing the brush cautiously, but the sunlight was fading fast. The gloaming made it hard to see anything but different shades of shadow. The creature had gone silent and still and Krypto was scenting the evening air, trying to catch a hint of the beast. 

Body low to the ground, Krypto sniffed insistently, his eyes sharp.

"Where is he, boy?" Kon whispered, using his super-hearing to see if he could locate the monster.

Kon tried to smell the air himself but the bloody scent of the mauled deer was too thick. Kon couldn't pick up much of anything else over it. He hoped grimly that Krypto could.

The sky was darkening quickly, dusk fell as they searched. Kon was worried that, if they let the creature escape, it might make its way to Metropolis proper and hurt someone a little more vulnerable than Kon. Given what it had done to that deer, it was clear that the creature could do some damage.

It was almost fully night and the moon was rising up over the horizon. It was a peeking light above the shadowy tree line. The lake itself glinted the light of the stars off its surface and a brilliant light green glow started to spread out across the lake. 

Kon paused in his search to look out at the glowing haze just below the surface of the water. It was very pretty.

Kon had never seen anything like it and he had seen his fair share of other-worldly sights.

It was as if thousands of tiny fireflies were floating just below the surface of the water. The sight of it made him oddly dizzy. Kon stopped breathing as he took in the scene and it wasn't until Krypto let out a low, warning woof that Kon came back to himself.

Krypto was standing just outside a crop of bushes, his front leg raised, tail extended, nose quivering as he pointed towards the bush along the edge of the lake. Kon floated up next to Krypto and placed an encouraging hand on Krypto's side. He listened carefully, hearing the low breathing of the creature in the brush.

"Bem fun, Krypto," Kon breathed out in Kryptonian. "Good boy."

Krypto's muscles were tense, and his breathing was a little faster than usual. He let out a low warning woof before he launched himself into the bracken frantically, trying to flush the monster out. The creature let out a low howl and crashed through the brush in Kon's direction. 

Kon moved to the side and let the creature move past him, watching it run across the edge of the lake. Kon chased after it, Krypto hot on his heels, gaining on the creature. Finally, Krypto kicked off the ground and into the air, flying over the creature and coming back to the ground. With Krypto in front of it and Kon behind it, the creature didn't have anywhere to go. 

Krypto let out a low growl and the creature turned back around to face Kon. It let out a chilling howl and rushed Kon. Putting up his arms, Kon braced himself for impact. The creature hit him in the stomach and knocked Kon to the ground. Kon wrestled with it, trying desperately to get back to his feet. The creature let out a snarl and sunk its teeth into Kon's arm. Kon brought both of his fists down on the creature’s head, it let him go and backed off with a whimper. 

Krypto came back up behind it with another snarl. Panicked, the creature turned back toward Kon and rushed him again. The force of the impact pushed them both out and up through the air. Seconds later, Kon and the creature both crashed into the water of the lake with a splash. 

The cold crush of the water inundated Kon and he let out a surprised gasp. The cold water hit him like a shock, knocking all the air from his lungs. A gush of water rushed into his mouth as the creature dragged him down deeper. All Kon could see was the dark push of water and a bright iridescent glow all around him.

Suddenly, Kon felt his limbs grow heavy, his arms and legs weighing him down. An aching pulse crashed through his skull and pain shot through his chest. Kon cried out but all that came out was bubbles. His chest ached, his head ached, his arms and legs wouldn't move no matter how hard he tried to force himself to swim. 

Kon hadn’t felt pain like this since he escaped from the lab. His TTK usually protected him from the worst of the blows he took in combat, but this pain sunk through the barrier of his TTK and wormed its way inside of him. The pain made a thick sense of panic shoot all through Kon. He tried to remind himself that he didn’t need to breathe. He tried to remind himself that he was strong. He tried to remind himself that he had felt worse pain, that he had overcome it. That pain always dissipated.

Eventually.

But he couldn’t seem to see his way through the haze of agony and fear that pushed his panic higher.

The creature was long gone and disappeared into the murky glow of the lake. 

Kon was going dizzy around the eyes, he tried to move his arms and legs, swim to the surface but they just wouldn't move. Panic set in but the pain was too much, he was feeling too heavy, the pain was too much, he just couldn't...

Kon couldn't...

The iridescent glow of the lake blurred and grew dim all around him as Kon slipped deeper into the water and everything went black. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

It was just getting dark when Tim waved goodbye to his rideshare driver and took off across the grass towards the lake. The sky was a deep pink, fading into a dark blue as the sunset off in the distance. 

Tim tucked his camera bag closer to his side as he picked up his pace, hurrying across the field over to the lake. A large chain link fence loomed over him, six-foot-tall and covered in 'Private Property' signs. Tim eyed the area, looking for cameras or any signs of security. Over the course of his time chasing Batman and Robin across rooftops, Tim had gotten very good at spotting surveillance equipment. 

The skillset had served him well over the years, both as a reporter and photographer. It had made it easier for him to reassure sources and keep his reporting secret from people who might want to quash his work.

With a silent not entirely sincere apology to Bernard, Tim scaled the fence with little effort, jumping back to the ground with his arms tucked in close to his body to keep from jostling his camera. 

When Bernard eventually saw the pictures, he was going to give Tim serious shit for sneaking into the area around the lake alone, after dark, with no way but a rideshare to get back to civilization. But then, it had always been easier to ask Bernard’s forgiveness for his more reckless adventures than to take him along. 

Bernard, it turned out, was not the fence scaling type.

Tim took off at a trot toward the lake, the setting sun glinted off the surface of the water. A flock of geese, spotting him nearing their territory, honked reproachfully as they took off into the sky, flying out over the water and back toward Metropolis.

There was a tree that had fallen half in, half out of the water along one side of the lake. Its bare branches extended about six feet over the surface of the water. Tim climbed on the top of the log, walking carefully out across it to the very end, going as far out into the lake as possible, and waited.

The lake was peaceful. A couple of late-season crickets were singing their last lonesome songs and a murmuration of starlings was flocking off in the distance. Otherwise, the only sounds were the rush of the light breeze blowing through a thick patch of cattails and the lapping of the lake water at the branches of the tree Tim sat in. 

The sunset was stunning. Bright pink and orange stained the clouds and faded into the darkening sky. Tim took a couple of quick snapshots as the sun sunk lower and lower down past the horizon. He felt himself relax as he focused only on what he could see. Letting all his thoughts melt away into a haze of angles, colors, and lighting. 

To Tim, photography had always been an almost meditative experience. He had taken it up when he was very young. His mother had given him his first camera when he was five years old. It was just an old point and shoot but Tim had cherished it. He had used it almost constantly, taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures.

Whenever his parents had gone on their trips, his mother would always take a couple of pictures herself and share them with Tim when they got home. So he could see what she had seen, she told him.

Tim had decided that he wanted to share with her what he was doing at home when she traveled, so he had asked for a camera of his own.

Over the years, he shared fewer and fewer of his pictures with his parents and focused more on landscapes and cityscapes. When he went to college, he took classes and got better and better, eventually winning a few photojournalism prizes and a few low-level local art awards for his photos of Gotham City.

Tim snapped a few more pictures as he kept his eye on the darkening water of the lake, waiting patiently.

It wasn't more than another ten minutes before the algae began to glow just beneath the surface of the water. Just as Bernard said it would. It started off as a low sort of yellowish-green haze, blending into the darkness of the lake. As time passed it grew more vivid, more brilliantly green as thousands of the algae illuminated. As Tim watched, the lake grew brighter and brighter, as if the aurora borealis was shimmering beneath the surface. 

Tim changed the lighting settings on his camera then and adjusted his lenses, snapping dozens of pictures. The algae shifted and glimmered, brilliantly green and brightly iridescent. Looking more like a wave of the Milky Way in the midnight sky than anything organic and living. 

Tim's breath caught in his throat as he watched, snapping as many pictures as he could, braced against the jutting dead branch of the tree. Above the sound of the click of the shutter and the rhythmic sound of the insects singing their late summer song. 

Tim started, shocked out of his reverie as he suddenly heard a snarling growl.

Looking up from his camera, Tim saw a roiling mass of limbs and fur. In the darkness, it was hard to make out what was happening. A fight had broken out on the shore of the lake, maybe 15 yards away from him. Tim was trying to decide what to do when he heard a startled human cry and a splash. Something hit the surface of the lake and went down, in a glowing wave of water. 

Shocked, Tim watched the surface of the water, waiting for whatever went down reemerge. After a minute or so, Tim saw something that looked like some kind of animal he couldn’t identify, pop its head above the water and swim to the far shore.

The human Tim had heard, though…

The human didn't come back up.

"Shiiit," Tim hissed to himself before stuffing his phone and his camera into his camera bag and hanging it on a branch. Tim kicked off his shoes, tugged off his jacket, and jumped into the water.

The lake was cold and it was very, very dark. The algae dimly lit his way as Tim swam through the water, looking frantically for the other person who went down with the animal. Tim was just feeling the pain in his lungs that signified the need to come up for air when he caught sight of the other man.

The algae that he had splashed through when he hit the water was sticking to his hair and shirt. He glowed eerily in the dim light of the lake. Almost like a ghost from a bad old horror movie.

Tim kicked as hard as he could, swimming fast to reach the other man. He wasn’t moving and was clearly unconscious. Tim knew he needed to move fast.

Wrapping an arm around his torso, Tim kicked up, swimming towards the surface. The man was heavy, a dead weight in the water. Tim struggled as he swam, willing himself to just wait another few seconds for some oxygen. 

He could breathe in just another few seconds...

Black spots were just starting to break out across his eyes when he finally broke the surface of the lake. Gasping for air, Tim took off towards the shore. He could tell, even without looking, that the other man wasn't breathing. The algae still glowed where it stuck to him, but Tim couldn't feel the rise and fall of his chest.

Tim swam as hard and fast as he could, making his way to the shore. When his feet finally touched down, Tim dragged the man to the bank, out and away from the water. 

The man was bigger than Tim, bulkier, heavier. Tim pulled him along the shore of the lake, gasping and panting as he did. 

Laying him out on the sandy bank, Tim leaned over the man.

"Come on. Come on. Breathe for me. Breathe," Tim begged, checking the man’s vitals.

When it became clear that the man wasn't going to breathe without some help, Tim took a deep breath and started CPR. 

Chest compression, exhalations into the lungs, the movements were rote. Tim had been taking CPR classes every year since he was a freshman in high school. The movements were familiar, almost instinctive. Tim tried not to think about what he was doing as he worked.

When the man trembled under Tim’s hands, Tim pulled away. The man rolled to his side, finally coughing out the water in his lungs, Tim couldn't help but feel relieved. 

"Get it... Get it off," the man groaned, rubbing uncoordinated hands at his chest.

"Get what off? Oh... the stuff? The algae? Hold on!" 

Tim rushed over to where his camera bag was still hung on the branch of the fallen tree. He grabbed the Nalgene bottle that was hanging from the bag and rushed back over to the man.

"Here!"

He poured a little clean water over the man's face, washing the shining algae from it. The man took the bottle from his hands and took a swig of the clear water, swishing it in his mouth before spitting it back onto the ground next to him. Tim took the bottle from him, pouring it over him and trying to get as much of the algae off of him as possible. 

Tim was just helping the man pull off his cape and uniform top, both still covered in algae, when the air whooshed with a gust of wind around them both.

Tim looked up to see Superman hovering about two feet over them both, a large white dog at his side. 

The other man had just kicked off his boots when Superman swooped down and scooped him up. 

"Don't. Move." Superman commanded in a deep voice that Tim would never dream of disobeying.

"No. No for sure I won't," Tim promised and then watched as Superman, the other man clutched to his chest, took off into the air. 

Another gust of air jettied around him in Superman's wake. Tim heard a low woof of the dog and then the world went silent. Not even the insects sang in the night, the ruckus Tim had caused having quieted them.

That was when Tim started to hyperventilate. A sudden chill overtook him, and he started to full-body shiver. He could still see the algae glowing on his clothes. Frantically, Tim tugged off his jacket and pulled off his jeans, the other man’s panic influencing Tim’s actions. He tossed them into a glowing heap on the ground and scrambled away from them.

Using the rest of the water in his bottle, Tim used it to wash the glowing algae out of his hair and off his face.

Shaking his head, Tim tried to even out his breathing. Willing himself to count to five on each breath in and out, Tim tried hard to focus on the sound of water rippling in the lake from the light breeze gusting out over the water.

Focusing on a light meditation technique he had picked up in college, Tim used it to calm himself as best he could. He walked back over to where he had left his camera and cell phone. Grabbing his shoes, Tim was just pulling them back on, sans socks, when he heard another whoosh of air above.

Tim looked up, actually half expecting to find Superman hovering above him again.

It wasn't, though.

It was a woman with chin-length blond hair, she wore a white unitard with a red cape. She hovered just above him watching him consideringly as Tim tied his sodden feet into his sneakers.

She was obviously a superhero. Tim didn’t recognize her. Callie would have, Tim couldn’t help but think wryly.

"I understand you've had an interesting night," she said as she eyed him.

"Is he ok? The guy who fell in the lake."

Tim watched as she took a deep breath and thought about how to answer him.

"Rush? Too early to tell."

"He… he was breathing again. I got him breathing again. He wasn't out for that long. It couldn't have been too long—"

"What's your name?"

"My... My name...? I mean it's Tim. Was that... Was he... Rush, right? Rush? I couldn't tell for sure, it was dark and he was wet and it was just..."

The woman came down to earth then, landing in front of Tim she crouched down on one knee next to where he sat, wetly, on the sand. She gave him a sympathetic look before cupping the back of Tim's head and guiding it between his knees.

The black spots that were breaking out across Tim's field of vision again seemed to drift away and his breathing came a bit easier. He closed his eyes and focused on the feel of her hand on the back of his head as he tried hard not to think.

"It's going to be ok, Tim. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"Yeah," Tim said on a sigh. "Superman has him. He'll be ok."

The woman let up the pressure she had on the back of Tim's head and Tim sat up again. He looked at her more closely then. Her eyes were a brilliant, vivid blue and her hair was so blonde it was almost white. Her skin didn't have a single freckle and there were no laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.

"You're... I'm sorry I don't know who you are," Tim said, his voice coming out in a soft rush.

"Power Girl. You can call me Peej."

"Peej..." Tim repeated tentatively, focusing on the name and not… everything else.

"What’s that?" Peej asked, gesturing to the still glowing algae that was smeared over Tim's pile of clothes.

"Algae... I think..." Tim said. "That’s what I thought it was anyway. Now I'm not so sure."

"Why?" Peej asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I mean, the other guy, Rush, it was almost like he was allergic to it... He didn't start to really recover until I rinsed it off of him..."

Peej froze then, not even breathing.

"Tim," Peej said, in a soft, even tone of voice clearly designed to keep him calm, "I'm going to wrap you in my cape and then I'm going to pick you up and I'm going to take you somewhere we can get you clean."

She tugged her cape off her shoulder and held it up for Tim to see.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Tim said, feeling relieved. 

Peej moved faster than Tim could track, then. There was a sudden rush of red fabric and Tim felt himself being swept up into Peej's arms. He tucked his camera bag in close to his belly to keep it safe. Then he felt a rush of wind as Peej kicked up into the sky and she began to fly at speed.

Tim felt himself go dizzy around the eyes and nausea rocked through him as he moved faster than he ever had before. Almost before he realized it, mere moments after being lifted off the ground, the red cape pulled off his head. Tim stumbled for a moment, trying to catch his balance.

When he finally managed to stand up straight, Tim found himself in a sterile lab.

"Tim... You ok?"

"I think… I think I need to—"

Then Tim fainted, hitting the ground hard in Power Girl's very sterile lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: "Bem fun" means Good Boy in Kryptonian.
> 
> Things are finally happening now!! Are you excited that there is now a PLOT?
> 
> Poor Kon, though. He was just trying to help :(


	3. Chapter 3 - Sun Lamps and Late Trains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon snuggles with Krypto and Tim talks to Peej.

Kon came awake under the glow of a series of sun lamps. Blinking through the light, Kon sat up in the low bed. His skin felt tightly clean, like it had been scrubbed too hard too many times. Rubbing a hand over his face, Kon could feel the stubble rough on the palms of his hands.

Blinking through the lights, Kon could see the Fortress past the veil of light.

"Kon?" Kal's voice came through the silence of the Fortress.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Kon called out, his voice was hoarse, rougher than it usually was. Kon coughed to try and clear his throat.

Krypto let out a light yip and he was suddenly in the bed next to Kon. Kon ran his hand comfortingly down his dog's side and whispered a low greeting to him.

"You're feeling better?" Kal asked, just a shadow in the UV light flowing out behind him from the sun lamps.

"I feel like I got hit by a train but... I'm awake. And I'm breathing, which is nice."

Kal was silent for a few long moments as he watched Kon and Krypto in the bed.

"The guy... The guy who pulled me out of the water. Is he ok?"

"He's with Karen," Kal answered. "She hasn't updated me with his condition, so I assume he's fine."

"You assume? He pulled me out of that lake."

"I'll go check on him,” Kal promised. “After we're sure you didn’t sustain any serious injury."

Kon sighed and let himself fall back on the bed. The light was warm against his unusually chill skin and Kon appreciated the heat of the sun lamps, the warmth of Krypto pressed against his side.

"What happened?" Kon asked, his voice sounding low and raspy even to him. "I mean I remember the monster and the lake and falling into the water. After that... Everything is a blur. All I could feel was pain. Until he... the man... until he pulled me out of the water and helped me breathe again..."

Kon had his eyes closed under the lights but he could sense the disapproving quality to Kal's silence.

"We don't know who the man is," Kal said finally. "It’s possible he’s behind all of this. He could have lured you to—"

"No, Krypto led me out there and he was freaking out when I woke up. He sounded scared. Relieved as hell when I came to," Kon said. "I don't think he had anything to do with what... With what happened to me."

Kal stayed silent and just out of sight beyond the lights.

"What did happen to me?"

"I took samples from the algae on your skin. It contained traces of Kryptonite. I think the large amount of the algae in the lake, totally surrounding you, had an abrupt and powerful effect on you.”

"Kryptonite? How?"

"I'm not sure. It affected me too, when I touched you. I was only mildly impacted because I wasn’t surrounded by large quantities of it but I could still feel myself weakening. When I took you here, we both needed to decontaminate. If you had spent any more time in that water... If Krypto had taken any longer to find me..."

"If that guy hadn't been there to pull me out..."

"...Yes."

"Do you think... Is he ok? Will the Kryptonite hurt him?"

"I'm not sure. It usually only hurts humans when there are high levels of exposure, but he was in the lake too so... I can check with Karen but... Kon, what happened? How did you even find that lake? It wasn’t on anyone’s radar…”

"I'm not sure. I just found the thing. Krypto and I went out on patrol and Krypto went after this thing. It got away from us and when we were searching for it, it surprised us. Like a sneak attack. Then it threw me into the water."

"What sort of creature was it?"

"I don't even know. I've never really seen anything like it before. At least not on Earth. It tore... It tore apart a... I think it was deer or something. Krypto and I were worried it would hurt someone if we didn't stop it and then..." Kon trailed off with a wave of his hand.

"What did the creature look like?"

"I mean, like hairy and sick and big. Real big. And mean. It was hard for Krypto or I to hurt it. And we tried."

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Kon and he sunk back onto the bed, wishing the lights above him weren't quite so bright.

"What happened to it? After you went down?"

"I have no idea," Kon breathed out. "It suddenly became less of a concern than just getting out of the water, I guess?"

"Yeah, I can see how that became the priority..."

"So, we have two mysteries to solve, the algae and the monster..."

"Three, actually."

"Three."

"The algae, the monster and the man who pulled you out of the water."

"The man?"

"Why was he there? Why did he pull you out of the water? How did he know to rinse the algae off you?"

"I asked him to, I think. I asked him to get it off… But you think he's mixed up in this?"

"It's possible."

"I don't... He seemed... From the way he was acting, the way he helped me, I really don’t think he was involved…”

"I'll... Talk to Karen..." Kal hedged. “We need to be sure.”

Kon couldn't blame him for being cautious. Kal had a lot to lose.

"You're feeling better?" Kal asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Yes, a little better," Kon said, rubbing at Krypto's side.

"I'm going to go meet up with Karen. See what she found."

"You'll come back and let me know?"

"Let you know about what?"

"After you check in with Karen. You'll let me know if the other guy is ok?"

"Yes," Kal said. "I'll let you know."

"Thanks," Kon said, but Kal was already gone.

The air whooshed around him as Kal took off, ruffling the blanket Kon had pulled up to his chin. Krypto let out a low woof and nuzzled Kon's side affectionately.

Kon took the next few moments just to breathe. Feeling the cool air of the Fortress coming in and out of his own lungs as he breathed deeply, slowly and carefully. Pushing the memory of the lake, the struggle to breathe, the struggle to move, the pain and the panic far from his mind.

Kon flexed his hands, breathing in deep, he focused on the air and the cool breeze in the fortress playing lightly on his skin. He felt the air all around him, the dry blankets, the cool breeze.

Kon shut his eyes again against the light shining down on him. He was grateful for the heat, the warmth, the energy the light gave him but...

Kon desperately wanted to sleep. He shut his eyes tight and pursed his lips, focusing on the feel of Krypto's fur between his fingers.

Kon was still too shaken to fall back to sleep.

He felt disquieted and on edge, despite the heavy exhaustion that settled thickly within him.

Kon hadn’t been in that much pain in a long time. Not since he escaped from the lab nearly a decade ago. 

The thick, heavy feeling of the Kryptonite radiation brought back bad memories of the lab at LexCorp. And the tubes and the needles and the restraints. It brought back memories of being trapped, unable to protect himself as the scientists.

As the scientists hurt him, with little regard for his pain or his fear, in an effort to make him stronger and more powerful than Superman. Their white coats, stained with his blood, had blocked his vision and their gloved hands had been so rough on his skin. 

He could remember the smell of his blood, his skin burning, and the sharp tang of the Kryptonite instruments they used to cut through his skin, his flesh.

Kon shivered at the memory and Krypto let out a low little woof next to him, pressing the top of his head into Kon’s hand. Swallowing hard, Kon let his fingers play at the warm soft fur of Krypto’s neck as he focused on the scent and the feel of the Fortress all around him.

Focusing on the silence of the Fortress and Krypto’s warmth pressed against his side, Kon pressed his face into the pillow of the bed. It was soft and he was warm and safe and far, far away from anyone who wanted to hurt him. As exhaustion overtook him, the brilliant glitter of the blue eyes of the man who rescued him was all Kon could see as he drifted to sleep.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

As Tim came awake, he became dimly aware of a sharp pain just above his left cheekbone. He squeezed his eyes shut and the pain flashed even worse as the muscles tightened over the injured area. Groaning, Tim put a hand to his cheek, feeling a bruise swelling to the surface of his skin, as he sat up. He opened his eyes to find himself in a sterile white and grey laboratory. 

A couple of lab benches were set up in various L shapes all around him. They were lined with test tubes and large instruments that hummed lightly as they worked on processing whatever was inside of them. 

Tim blinked as his vision blurred slightly. His head ached and nausea roiled through his stomach. He swallowed hard as his mouth began to water. The thick scent of disinfectant was heavy in the air and Tim’s bare legs were cold as they pressed against the floor.

"You ok, buddy?" a voice called to him.

It was Power Girl. She had… She had rescued him earlier… Flown him here and then he had…

Fainted.

Super cool. Very cool thing to do in front of a superhero.

He was obviously a hard-boiled, jaded investigative reporter.

"Absolutely. Almost 100% ok," Tim rasped out, swallowing hard around a dryness in his mouth.

The woman didn't respond, and Tim took a couple of long deep breaths, trying to settle his stomach.

"Did you want... A glass of water or something?" the woman asked. "I really need to decontaminate you..."

At that, Tim suddenly wanted to get decontaminated more than anything in the universe.

“What am I contaminated with?”

“Hard to say… I’m gonna try a little bit of everything while we figure out where to focus.”

"Yeah. Yeah, give me the water, and let's get this done."

"Are you gonna puke in my iodine shower?"

"Am... Am I radioactive?"

"Probably not a lot."

"Jesus. I promise not to puke anywhere. Just get this done."

Peej ushered Tim into a small chamber, the size of the shower stall in his apartment. He kicked off the rest of his clothing and stepped inside. She called to him to hold still and Tim closed his eyes and stopped breathing as Peej did whatever it was that she needed to do to get the radiation off of him.

When she told him to step into a different area, Tim shut his eyes tight as what he hoped was water and soap gushed out of the walls and on to his skin.

The chemical scent of the disinfectants was making his headache even more and he had to firmly remind himself of his promise not to puke in Power Girl’s lab.

Peej was collecting samples from the pile of clothes Tim had dropped on her floor when Tim finally stepped out of the decontamination unit. He grabbed a towel she had left out for him and dried off.

"Sooooo, how worried do I need to be? Am I going to start growing extra limbs or something?"

Peej hummed thoughtfully as she filled various tubes with samples taken from his shirt, pants, and socks. When she finished taking samples, she put his clothes in a bag and locked them in what Tim was guessing a lead-lined safe.

"My guess would be that you don't need to be worried. I used the Geiger counter while you were decontaminating. Your clothes aren't putting off any unusual levels of radiation."

"The headache and nausea…?"

"First-time flyer plus stress, would be my guess. It's not every day a guy does a water rescue and CPR. Nice work by the way."

"Oh hey, thanks. I do what I can," Tim said lamely wrapping the towel around his waist.

"How many photos did you get of the algae before everything went down?" Peej asked, nodding toward this battered looking camera bag.

"I'll tell you what, I will trade you all of those pictures for some pants."

Peej looked up and smiled at him.

"You drive a hard bargain. I’ll be right back."

She was gone in a blur, wind whipping up around Tim in the lab and knocking his towel back to the floor. He had just re-secured it when she came back. She handed him a pair of grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. No boxers. No socks. 

Everything was absolutely too big for him, but it was certainly preferable to his possibly radioactive clothes...

Tim tugged the sweats on as Peej made her way over to her lab bench. Tim followed her over and watched as she looked over some slides that were projecting up on a computer monitor. It looked to Tim like some sort of projection from a microscope. 

"Soooo..."

"So, I'm going to need to do some tests to know what this stuff is for sure."

"And those tests will tell you whether I have been exposed to something terrible? Should I go to a hospital in the meantime? Get… checked out?"

"Nope, none of the initial tests are indicating anything alarming. After we determined what you were exposed to wasn’t particularly radioactive, the rest of the decontamination was just a precaution," Peej answered, gesturing to a stand holding up the sample tubes. They were all a sort of light blue color, like dish soap or something.

"Yeah but..."

"What would you say if you did go to the hospital? You fell into a lake? Besides, I would be willing to bet my lab is better equipped to get to the bottom of this than a regular hospital."

Tim eyed her skeptically and huffed out a half-laugh.

"I live in Gotham City, people show up to the ER all the time after having been exposed to all the mayhem the Joker, Two Face and Freeze have to offer.” Tim pointed out. “No one would bat an eye if I said some algae tried to kill me. What tests are you running?"

"I'm doing a few more tests for radiation. Whatever radioactive elements are in the algae aren't putting off anything dangerous to humans but..."

"But the guy I pulled out of the lake— Rush?"

"Isn't human. You leave him to us and don't worry about it."

"I am worried, though. Do you think he'll be ok?"

Peej looked up from her screens and gave Tim a reassuring smile.

"I think you got him out of the water just in time. I think you did everything you should have to revive him. I think now that he's with Superman, he's going to get the best care he could hope for."

Tim hummed thoughtfully and shook his head.

"You'd tell me, right? If he wasn't going to be ok?"

"I would tell you," she promised.

Tim took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Soooooo..." Peej said, pulling open a drawer in the lab bench.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna need some of your blood.”

"Great… I cannot promise I won’t faint again..."

“So long as you stick with the promise not to puke, we’ll be fine.”

Peej took a couple of vials of Tim's blood and handed him a big candy bar in exchange. Tim was eating it and downing some water when she pressed him again.

"Now," she said, pulling her laptop over towards her on the lab bench. "Think you could put those pictures on my laptop?"

Tim grabbed his camera bag and pulled out his equipment. He connected his camera to her computer and started transferring files.

"I may be able to get you more if you want," Tim explained to her as he transferred the files. "A friend of mine tipped me off about the lake. He said another friend of his got some pictures last week. I can see if I can get my hands on them. Given the drop in temperature the last few weeks, the quantity of algae may have decreased."

"Any idea how long the lake has been glowing?"

"Not really. I can check online and maybe meet the other guy for coffee."

"Do you think he'll tell you?"

"He works for an environmental non-profit so I'm guessing he'd tell me his social security number for a free cup of coffee."

Peej huffed out a laugh and nodded.

"That sounds about right."

Tim finished transferring the files to a folder on her desktop. He packed his equipment up as Peej puttered around her lab bench. Pulling his business card out of his camera bag, Tim slid it over to Peej on the workbench.

"Just so you can contact me if you find I do actually need to visit a hospital..."

Peej glanced down at the card with a smile. Her face froze and then the smile melted away.

Tim's card read:

Tim Drake  
Investigative Reporter  
Gotham Gazette

"Investigative reporter?" Peej read out, her voice hollow.

"Yeah, I've been writing for the Gazette for a few years now..."

Peej looked over at him sharply and narrowed her eyes.

"Were you looking into the algae for a story?"

"Not at all. I do a lot of photography, too. For fun, you know. It was mostly just... shutter bait... I guess."

Peej pursed her lips and looked Tim over considering.

"Did you tell Superman?"

"It did not occur to me to mention my profession while attempting to get large quantities of dirty lake water out of that guy's lungs, no."

"He'll want to know."

"I mean... ok?"

"You plan to write about this?"

"I hadn’t, no. I consider any scenarios that result in me performing CPR on a glowing alien off the record. You know, as a professional courtesy."

"I can't tell if you're being serious."

"Yeah... I can't tell either... It's been a weird night.”

Peej walked over to him and put a strong, heavy hand on his shoulder. Tim looked up at her and she smiled down at him.

"A very weird night, actually," Tim said, tilting his head to one side thoughtfully. "But no, I’m not going to write about what happened to Rush. Even if I was going to write about this, I don't think that anyone would believe me... And the other people who could corroborate the story would be unlikely to return my editor's calls so..."

"Yeah, Supes isn't great at answering phones..."

"Oh, I just figured his strong preference for Lois Lane would make him less inclined to help a competing investigative reporter."

"You seriously think you're competing with Lois Lane?"

"I mean… I'm getting there. I just took down a corrupt city council!"

"In Gotham, right? That must be like shooting fish in a barrel."

Tim put his hands on his hips and glared up at her.

"Doesn't Lane have both Luthor and Superman on speed dial? I'm doing this in hard mode, and she has all the cheat codes activated."

"You're kind of a geek aren't you?"

"I, for one, refuse to be teased about being a geek by a lady wearing a lab coat over her superhero leotard."

"That's fair," Peej said, grinning.

Tim fished another card out of his camera bag and put it on the lab bench next to the other one.

"For Superman. In case he wants to chat."

Peej nodded.

"Now, how problematic for you would it be for me to grab a rideshare to the train station from here?"

"I'll drop you off."

"I just need you to swear to me you will go at a speed that will not result in further fainting spells."

"Listen, I was traveling at 'This guy may have radiation sickness' speed."

"Which I appreciate it. I really do. But right now, I just need to make the last train back to Gotham."

Peej dropped him off in an alley a few blocks from the train station in Metropolis. She gave him a wave goodbye and promised to update him if she learned anything important from his blood tests. Tim reminded her to give his card to Superman. She promised that she would and then, in a whoosh of air and a flapping cape, she was gone.

Tim sighed and walked back towards the train station. The only shoes she gave him were a pair of flip flops that were a touch too big for him, so he had to walk slowly and carefully. Tim pulled up his train ticket on his phone as he made his way to his gate.

As the train boarded, Tim checked his phone for messages. He wondered how long it would take Peej to get back to him. Or if she even would...

Or if Superman would call him.

Or maybe even... Maybe Rush would call. When he was feeling better.

Tim fought down a shudder as he settled into his seat.

The memory of Rush's cool, damp skin, his very still chest, the pallor of his skin made Tim bite his lip with worry. Peej had said that Rush was probably fine. That he had gotten him out of the water just in time.

Tim spent the rest of the ride back to Gotham silently willing Rush to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for being behind in answering comments. I just got back from a long camping trip and my hair is clean for the first time in a week. The world feels perfect and glorious now. But also a little sad because I am no longer camping... Camping would be more fun if washing your hair was easier.


	4. Chapter 4 - Fire Escapes, Beer & Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon has a rough morning and Bart cheers him up. Kal stalks Tim and Tim doesn't like it.

Kon woke up feeling sluggish and achy. He had insisted on leaving the Fortress the night before, wanting to sleep in his own bed. The Fortress was familiarly Kryptonian, but it was sterile and empty in a way that made it hard for Kon to get any actual sleep. Even with Krypto keeping him company.

Kal hadn't looked happy about his decision to leave for the night but he also hadn't had a reason to stop Kon from going home. All of the tests Kelex had run showed that Kon was not suffering any serious aftereffects from the algae.

He and Krypto had tripped back into his apartment at around four in the morning. He had collapsed into bed, exhausted and still in a little pain. He had fallen asleep almost immediately, Krypto tucked back up against his side protectively.

Taking a deep breath, Kon levered himself up out of bed with more effort than he would have liked. He limped into the bathroom slowly but steadily. Krypto followed him, curling up on the floor of the bathroom when Kon flicked the taps on in the shower and stepped under the spray. He scrubbed off quickly, then toweled himself dry as he made his way back into the bedroom.

His skin still felt tight, too new, and too clean, after the decontamination protocols that Kal had run him through. It made him wonder if he should call Cassie or Lois. Maybe borrowing some lotion would make him feel a little more human again.

Just as Kon was pulling on his clothes, his cell phone rang.

It was Bart. Kon thumbed the call live.

"Hey, man—" Kon started but Bart cut him off.

"You never called me back last night! Did you fall asleep eating dinner again?"

"Not even a little. I had a little bit of a rough night."

"Rough how?" Bart asked, his voice suddenly tense.

Kon explained to Bart about the creature and the lake and the algae and the man who pulled him out of the water.

"What the hell? Are you ok? How are you feeling?"

"Not great but I'm breathing so..."

"That's terrifying. What do you think happened?"

"Well, Kal and Karen had both done tests on the glowing algae in the lake last night. The Fortress found that algae did seem to be fortified with low levels of Kryptonite. It wasn't kicking off enough radiation to be harmful. You know, until I swallowed some of the water and the algae..."

"Oh man and some random dude just pulled you out of the lake?"

"Yeah, he did something to make me cough up most of the water and then gave me fresh water to rinse out my mouth and face..."

"Were Superman and Peej ok?"

"They weren't affected by it as much as I was, but they weren't exposed to it in the same way."

"Wild."

"Kal said the man who pulled me out of the water probably saved my life..."

"Who was he? Like a cop or a firefighter or something?"

"I have no idea. I wasn't exactly in a position to ask. There was no reason for anyone to be out in the area at night, really..."

"Did Kal get his name?"

"Not sure, I'm going to touch base with him later on today to see what he knows about the guy. I'd at least like to thank him..."

"I wonder who he was... Like maybe he's a park ranger. A handsome park ranger. Who will demand you repay his kindness with kisses..." Bart said dreamily.

"Bart..." Kon said in a warning tone of voice.

"What? Admit it, you'd make out with a hot park ranger."

"I mean... he was cute. He didn't look like a park ranger though. He was just wearing... normal clothes."

"No green and khaki?"

"Nope, all navy blue and black."

"Bummer. Maybe he'll still want thank you kisses."

"That seems unlikely."

"I mean with that attitude..."

"Are we still meeting Cassie for dinner tomorrow," Kon asked, suddenly feeling very desperate to change the subject.

"Yeah, tomorrow. And Kon?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're ok."

"Thanks, man."

Bart hung up and Kon and Krypto made their way to the kitchen to scrounge for some breakfast. Kon filled Krypto's bowl and made himself some scrambled eggs. He was eating them when he felt a whoosh of wind come through the window in his living room. He looked up to find Kal standing in his kitchen.

Krypto padded over to Kal with a welcoming yip. Kal patted Krypto's side affectionately as he eyed Kon thoughtfully.

"How are you feeling?" Kal asked, kneeling down to get eye level with Krypto.

"Not amazing, but better than yesterday."

"You look better," Kal said. "Can you swing by the Fortress later today? Just for a few follow up tests?"

"Yeah, later this afternoon."

"Karen said the initial results are positive. It doesn't seem like the algae are dangerous to anyone but Kryptonians and then only in extremely high doses."

"So, the guy who pulled me out of the lake last night is ok?"

"We think he'll be fine, but Karen is going to try to talk to him after checking his blood tests again."

"Good. I'm glad..." Kon said.

"I went back to the lake this morning," Kal said. "I saw the spot where you said Krypto took the creature down but aside from that..."

"No sign of him?" Kon asked. "I was worried about that."

"Sorry. I can check to see if Batman has any satellite images of the place from around that time, but there's no guarantee."

"Yeah, in the meantime, I am a little worried there may be more of those animals. I might spend some time in the Fortress tonight, go through some images and see if I can identify what I saw. Maybe it was an alien or something..."

"Could be. I'm thinking it's also probably tied to the algae."

"I was thinking the same thing," Kon said with a sigh.

"I'm going to check in on your new friend tonight. I'll meet you at the Fortress later."

"Yeah, I'll see you then," Kal said and then he was gone.

Kon wondered what that poor man would say when Superman showed up in his life again. Kon wondered what the poor man would say if Kon showed up in his life again, for that matter. Maybe while he was fully conscious and not sopping wet.

Would the guy be happy to see him again? Relieved? Annoyed?

Kon shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to turn his attention away from the memory of the man’s worried blue eyes.

^*^*^*^*^*^*

Tim woke up the next morning not actually feeling like he slept at all. His eyes stung with exhaustion and his brain didn’t feel like it was working as fast as it usually did. His fingers felt clumsy and slow as he pulled out his clothes and dressed.

He was slowly buttoning up his work shirt and thinking nearly dirty thoughts about the coffee in his kitchen when he heard a sound coming from his fire escape. While Tim was used to the sound of the occasional pigeon or starling landing on the metal bars, this sounded different. Much different. 

Much bigger, in fact.

Tim pushed aside his curtains and swore when he saw Superman hovering in the air just above his fire escape.

Tim pulled the window open quickly and gestured him inside.

"Hurry up," Tim hissed. "Before anyone sees you!"

There was a low whoosh and suddenly Superman was in his bedroom, hovering six inches off the floor. Tim took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, wishing he was a little more awake than he was right then. He shut the window behind Superman, closed the blackout curtains tightly, and turned to face him.

"You want a coffee?" Tim asked, walking past Superman and out into his living room/kitchen.

"A coffee would be... nice..." Superman said tentatively, seeming a little surprised that Tim asked as he followed just behind Tim, still flying just above Tim’s hardwood floors.

Tim pulled a couple of mugs from the cupboard. He had filled the Chemex just before getting dressed and now he pulled the filter and grounds off the top of his glass Chemex pot.

"Do you take cream or..." Tim asked, looking up at Superman.

"Cream and sugar would be wonderful."

"I think I can swing that."

Tim prepped the coffee and handed Superman a mug before gesturing to him to sit down at his bar.

"How's Rush? Power Girl said she thought he would be ok, but I was worried."

"He's doing well. I just saw him this morning. He's tired and sore but he's doing ok."

Tim let out a breath, sinking down onto a barstool next to Superman and closing his eyes as he took a sip of coffee.

"Thank god. I’ll admit I didn’t sleep well last night. I couldn’t stop wondering if he was ok. When I pulled him out of that lake he wasn't breathing and I just—"

Tim broke off and shook his head, making himself take a sip of coffee so he stopped yammering at Superman.

"I wanted to thank you for helping him. Not everyone would have done that," Superman said, looking intently down at his coffee mug.

"I mean, you've made yourself something of a career out of helping people so it can't be so unusual."

"I can assure you that it is."

Tim looked at Superman out of the corner of his eye. He was still looking at the coffee in his mug. His face was tight and serious, shoulders tense. He seemed so inhumanly big sitting there on Tim’s tiny barstools, his cape trailing off to drape over Tim’s floors.

"I'm just glad he's ok. You don't think there was any lasting damage? From the algae or whatever?"

Superman shrugged.

"We're looking into it. Listen, there is another reason I came to speak with you today."

"Oh god, it is harmful to humans…? Power Girl said she didn’t think it was but—"

"Harmful to humans?"

"The algae. Am I going to get some sort of weird disease or something?"

"No, absolutely not. We have no evidence of that."

"Oh, then why are you here?"

"Power Girl gave me your card."

"Yeah, I asked her to. In case you wanted to talk."

Superman turned to face him, his expression serious. His eyes were such a bright, almost unnatural blue that Tim was taken aback momentarily.

"Were you looking for an interview?" he asked neutrally.

"What? God no! I wanted you to reach out so I knew if Rush was going to be alright. Or in case you needed any other details about what I saw or did."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, I mean some of us don't encounter life and death situations every day and we get a little emotionally involved when we do!"

Superman was silent for a few long moments, watching Tim intently.

"Power Girl said that you weren't going to write about all of this."

"Listen, the algae? That's weird. I might write about that depending on what is causing it. I'm sure as hell not writing about Rush falling in the water or that he was vulnerable to it. That's got to be some form of criminal endangerment..."

"Criminal endangerment…?"

"Either way," Tim said, waving a hand. "Believe it or not, I don't actually want the bad guys to have the upper-hand when they go toe to toe with you and Rush."

Superman was still eyeing him skeptically.

"I just won an award for stopping corruption in Gotham!" Tim said defensively. “I’m an honest guy!”

"Stopping corruption in Gotham? Isn't that a little like shooting fish in a barrel?"

Tim was getting a little sick of that particular analogy.

"Hey man, at least I'm shooting," Tim said bitterly. "What's Lois Lane working on? Writing her thirty-eighth ineffectual hit piece on Lex Luthor?"

"From my understanding, she's working on a story about contaminated baby formula."

Tim... had to concede that writing about potentially poisoning babies probably did a little bit more for society than taking down some low-level corruption.

"I mean, sure that's great," Tim said with an airy wave of his hand. "If you like babies."

"You don't like babies?"

"Joke. Joke," Tim said, gesturing defensively.

"I know," Superman said with a smile. "I've read a few of your articles. I wouldn't be so worried if you weren't a talented writer and reporter."

"You've read my articles?"

"Batman has recommended a few of them to me."

"Batman reads my articles?" Tim asked, incredulously.

"He's been following your career for a few years now."

"Ohhhhh, I think I just got the shivers."

Superman huffed out a soft laugh.

"So, you'll keep me posted if you find out anything about the algae?"

"I—" Superman started and then broke off, considering.

"Just a quick text or a call if something comes up while you're testing the samples. Emphasis on the text or call..."

Superman looked over at him sharply and Tim sighed.

"I never had any intention of writing about what happened with Rush. I have a pretty firm policy about everything happening shortly after a near death experience being off the record. But..."

"But?"

"You showing up on my fire escape puts me in a bad position. If anyone saw you they may start looking into what I'm working on and why it might involve Superman. You are many things, Big Blue, but you are not subtle."

"That's fair..."

"And don't get me wrong. I get that it was a power move. You wanted to intimidate me. And I promise I won't mention to your pal Lois Lane that were trying to intimidate a member of the press to keep them from writing a story—"

"That wasn't what I—"

Tim cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I mean, it was. We both know it was. Let's not tiptoe around the truth here."

"I didn't mean to—" Superman started and then trailed off with a shake of his head.

"Yeah no, I get it. If I were you, I would probably have done the same thing. Last night? That was scary. I was scared for Rush and I don’t even know the guy."

"Rush is very grateful. He was asking about you today."

Tim felt a thrill shoot through his stomach at that. He didn't feel particularly inclined to examine the set of feelings that prompted that but—

"Well," Tim said, shaking his head and taking another sip of coffee. "Hopefully, I'll get to the bottom of this algae thing and we won't need to worry about it anymore."

"So, you are planning to look into this?"

"I mean, yeah. Could be that there isn't a story there. Or that if there is, I'm not up to the reporting on it and we'll have to transfer it over to your pal Lois Lane."

Superman gave him a small smile and shook his head.

"I have every faith that if there is something going on at that lake, you're more than equal to the task of reporting out on it. And..."

"Yeah?"

"Stop calling Lois my pal."

"Hey, I'm just doing my part to quash the vicious rumors that she's more than your pal."

Superman gave him a warning look and Tim tried to smile disarmingly.

"Just saying," Tim said, lifting his arms defensively.

"Maybe don't," Superman said flatly.

"Point taken."

Superman downed the rest of his coffee and got to his feet. Tim followed suit and walked him back to the window in the bedroom.

"Just try not to be seen as you leave..."

"Not a problem. Believe it or not, I can be subtle when I need to be."

"You're wearing bright red boots, my man."

Superman huffed out another laugh and shook his head.

"Hey," Tim said, pausing just before he opened the window.

"Yes?"

"Can you... Can you give Rush my card? I know you and Power Girl said he was fine, but... It'd just be nice to hear from him. Peace of mind, you know?"

Superman smiled at him, understanding clear in his face.

"I know," Superman said softly. "I'll pass along your number. But he's..."

Superman hesitated, as if he wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"He's what?"

"He's a little cautious around humans."

"Oh gee, I can't imagine why. It's not like we're a species prone to xenophobia..."

Superman huffed out another laugh.

"He'd like you though," Superman said, firmly.

Tim smiled back at him and nodded.

"Thanks."

Superman nodded goodbye and with a whoosh, he was gone, faster than the eye could see.

Tim sighed as he shut the window behind Superman. He glanced at his GPS watch as he grabbed his sport coat from his closet.

He could make it into the office in time for the morning Editorial Meeting if he hit the trains just right...

Tim filled his travel mug and grabbed his lunch from the fridge. He stuffed his lunch in his bag and pulled on his shoes.

He walked quickly to the train station, thinking about everything Superman had said. Wishing Superman had given him a little more information about what his tests had found, Tim wondered where to start with his research.

Tim's train luck was good that day and an Express pulled into the station just as Tim got to the bottom of the stairs. Tim rushed onto the train and found a seat right away. He pulled his notebook and a pen out of his bag and started taking notes:

Things to look in to:

1) Who owns the land at the bank of the lake?  
2) What streams/aquifers feed into the lake?  
3) What does algae do?  
4) Does anything eat algae?  
5) Do we eat anything that eats algae?  
6) Am I maybe a little radioactive now?  
7) Am I going to grow gills?

Tim eyed his list thoughtfully. When his train came up from underground, he pulled out his phone and punched up Bernard's number

*Hey, Bud. That dude who told you about the algae: Think he'd tell me more about it if I bought him a coffee?* Tim texted.

*Are you actually interested in algae or did you just want to see his algae?* Bernard texted back.

*1) Ew 2) I'm actually interested in the algae. 3) Ew again 4) You're gross.*

*Do I get a coffee too? For bringing you two together?*

*I think I could swing that.*

*And if you are interested in his algae after all, can I be your Maid of Honor at your wedding?*

*Yes. Just remember that my Maid of Honor must wear my favorite color: Neon Green.*

*Oh, I have the perfect shoes for that!*

Tim couldn't help but huff out a laugh at that.

*You'll let me know what he says about coffee?*

*I'll let you know. But joking aside, he's single and he's a catch. Just keep that in mind when you're interrogating him about this algae. Maybe brush your hair or something.*

*Noted.*

Tim's train pulled into his station with about ten minutes left for his editorial meeting. He rushed across crowded sidewalks and half ran up the stairs to his desk. He just had time to drop his jacket and bag at his desk before scooping up his laptop and rushing into the meeting.

He was the last one to arrive and there were no seats left around the conference table. His editor, Conrad, gave him a curious look as Tim pushed past a couple of people to sit on the window sill. 

The Gazette building was an old stone structure built back in the 1940s. Walls were thick, windows were rare, paint was peeling, and issues with rodents were perpetual.

As the meeting started and everyone began talking about their story plans for the week, Tim couldn't help but pull up a search program to do some initial digging into the property around the lake. He was just trying to figure out the GPS location of the spot he was last night when he heard Conrad calling his name.

"Drake? Earth to Drake? You leave your brain in bed or something?"

"Oh," Tim said, looking up from his laptop. "Sorry. No."

"You got a story?”

“I... I might... Still trying to dig into some initial leads. Could be nothing."

"What's it about?"

"Too soon to say."

"And if it turns out to be something?"

"Then we'll talk."

“You have two days to figure it out. Then we talk.”

“That’s fair.”

Conrad shrugged and moved on to torment another one of the writers in Tim's division. When the meeting ended, Tim trailed the other journalists back to his desk. His phone buzzed as he sat down heavily in his chair.

*Today. 3 pm. The Jumping Java.* Bernard texted him.

*Thanks, Bernard. See you then.*

Bernard just sent back a kissy face emoji and Tim smiled.

^*^*^*^*^*^

Kon distractedly fingered the business card that Kal had given him.

Tim Drake  
Investigative Reporter  
Gotham Gazette

It was a nice card. Thick stock, official-looking. Professional.

It looked like something Kal or Lois would have. 

It looked legit.

Kal had told Kon that the guy didn't mean him any harm. That he didn't intend to write about Kon or what had happened last night.

"How can you be sure?" Kon had asked.

"He's a journalist. He's all over Chirper, if he wanted to blow this up, he would have posted pictures already. Built up some anticipation for a forthcoming story."

"Is that what you would do?"

"That's what Lois would do."

Kon... He believed Kal.

The man had looked genuinely relieved when Kon had woken up. Kal and Karen said that he had asked about Kon first.

Kon hadn't had many good experiences with humans but he was starting to think that his encounter last night counted as one of them.

Shaking his head, Kon tossed the card back down on his counter and went to grab Krypto some treats.

Krypto let out a happy little woof and licked excitedly at Kon's fingers.

After Krypto ate all of his treats, Kon sighed and went to wash his hands. He was just digging through the fridge for some food for himself when his cell phone rang.

Bart's name popped up on his phone display and Kon thumbed the call live.

"Want pizza?" Bart asked, not bothering to say hello.

"I always want pizza."

"Beer, also?"

"I always want beer."

"See you in three."

It was more like two minutes than three, but Bart arrived, three pizzas and a six-pack of beer in hand, hair looking windswept. The cheese on the pizza was a little lopsided but Kon wasn't about to complain.

He grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboards and set them up at the bar in his kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Bart asked, fishing a piece of pizza out of one of the boxes.

"Better. How was your day?"

"I will tell you all about it after I have consumed at least four pieces of pizza."

About thirty seconds later, Bart had just finished chewing his fourth slice. He sighed happily and reached for a fifth as Kon cracked open two beers for them.

"Ok, that's better," Bart said. "So, my day: I didn't sleep well because for some reason I had anxiety dreams all last night. You'd think my best friend almost died recently or something. Then Jaime called and told me that a guy we thought we put in jail was no longer in jail. So, he and I spent the rest of the day looking into that. Then I got us pizza."

"The pizza is good."

Bart nodded in agreement as he took a long swig of beer.

"I didn't have lunch," Bart explained, wiping some pizza sauce from his face.

"Yeah, me neither."

"So, you hear anything back from Superman about the stuff that messed you up last night," Bart asked.

"Just that it somehow contains low levels of Kryptonite," Kon said thoughtfully before taking another bite of pizza.

"Do we think someone is trying to murder you with algae? Like someone confused Kryptonians with Whales or something and expected you to eat it?"

"I don't think whales eat algae..." Kon said slowly, lifting his beer to his mouth but not taking a sip as he thought.

"Sure they do."

"I think they eat krill..."

"Wait… Then what eats algae...?"

"Fish? Hippies? Maybe like... worms or something?"

"We should look into this algae thing," Bart said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Apparently the guy who pulled me out of the lake already is."

"Ohhhhhh? Whaaaat? Who is this guy?"

"His name is Drake and he's apparently a reporter for the Gotham Gazette."

Bart put his pizza down and eyed Kon anxiously.

"That sounds like trouble," Bart said cautiously.

"Kal said he wasn't planning on writing about me. Just about the algae."

"Do we trust this guy?"

"Kal seemed to. So did Karen..."

Bart hummed thoughtfully around another bite of pizza.

"You think I should be worried?" Kon asked.

"I think you should probably get a read on this guy yourself," Bart said. "Not that I don't trust Kal and Karen but..."

"But?"

"You and me? We have more of a reason to be a little more suspicious of people's intentions than they do."

Bart wasn't wrong...

Both he and Kon had spent way too many years locked up in a lab. It had left them with the kind of scars that Karen and Kal would never understand.

"Point taken. He did seem..."

"Yeah?"

"He seemed more worried about me that night than anything else."

"I mean, yeah. You did almost die. That will distract a guy. It doesn't mean that now he has himself a little time and space, this won't all come back and bite you in the ass."

Kon put down his pizza and reached for his beer. He took a swig and thought about what Bart said for a few long moments.

"Sooo... should I just text him, or...?" Kon asked, hesitantly.

"You have his number? Wow boy, you work fast," Bart teased him with a grin. “I was joking about making out with him before, you know.”

"Kal gave me his card."

"I mean, maybe but..."

"You think it would be better if he wasn't expecting me. I could read his expressions better."

"That would be my thought, but I've always been partial to the element of surprise..."

"Fair."

"So, field trip to Gotham City tomorrow?"

Kon sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah, it's gonna be tough. It'll have to be in the day otherwise..."

"The Big Bad Bat might come out and make you miserable?"

"And maybe start asking questions about why I'm interrogating a citizen of his fair city?"

"Yeah, he might track you down and ask you anyway. Just stand over you and glare silently until you reveal all..."

"Think I could just silently glare back at him until he gets tired."

"I don't think he gets tired..."

"Bummer."

"Maybe just work fast?"

"That's your answer to everything," Kon pointed out, finishing his beer and fishing two more from the fridge. "Alternatively..."

"Yeah?" Bart asked, taking his fresh beer from Kon.

"I could just wear civvies. No need to draw the Bat's attention at all. Plus, it might be easier to get to him if I'm not all..." Kon gestured vaguely with one hand.

"Caped up?"

"Exactly."

"It's not a bad idea."

"Maybe I could meet him outside his office... Ask him to grab coffee?"

"See if he's single? Ask if he likes muscly half aliens with very large white dogs?"

"Or, like, ask if he's going to reveal my weaknesses to the world."

"Also good information to have."

They had emptied one of the pizza boxes, Kon grabbed it and the empty beer bottles and tossed them into their respective recycling bins.

"You think it'll be safe?" Bart asked, thoughtfully before taking another sip of beer.

"To meet him?"

"What if he saved some of the algae, like to weaken you?"

"You think he's a supervillain moonlighting as an investigative reporter?"

"I mean, Luthor is a supervillain moonlighting as a Titan of Industry."

"Fair point. But I think I'd need to ingest the algae again for it to make me sick."

"Ok, but text me when you meet up with him. If I don't hear from you within an hour, I'll come find you and beat up anyone you're around."

"Or you could just ask if you need to beat anyone up..."

"And lose the element of surprise?" Bart asked with faux horror.

"Of course, what was I thinking?"

Bart grinned at him then tapped the neck of his beer bottle to Kon's in a mock toast.

"So, you'll text me? Then call me again when you're done talking to him. Give me the update?"

"You do understand I'm almost invulnerable, right?"

"You do understand that you were almost defeated by algae the other day?"

"Another fair point."

"Yuuup... Sooooo, this weekend? You. Me. Cassie. Jaime. Take out. Movie Night?"

"I think I could swing that."

They finished their pizza and made plans for the movie night.

Bart... obviously didn't want to leave so they played video games in Kon's bedroom until they fell asleep. Kon had to admit, he was grateful for the company.

^*^*^*^

Tim juggled his bag of groceries and his keys as he opened the door to his apartment. He kicked it wide with one foot and stumbled inside. Putting the canvas bag of groceries down on the floor, he pulled off his coat and scarf. He hung them up on a hook and tossed his keys in a basket he kept on a table near his front door. Kicking off his shoes, Tim scooped up his bag and stumbled toward the kitchen.

Just as he set the bag down and started to unpack it, Tim felt his phone buzz.

Glancing down at the readout, he saw Dana's face on the screen.

He swiped the call live with a smile and put her on speakerphone while he worked to unpack his groceries.

"Hey Dana, what's up?"

"Hey, sweetie. Your father is about to take me out to a very nice restaurant for dinner."

"Ohhh, did you get a reservation at La Bohemia?"

"Absolutely not," Tim's father called from across the house. "We're going to the Indian place down the block."

Dana let out a long-suffering sigh and Tim laughed.

"Hey, the food there is pretty good at least," Tim pointed out.

"And I neither have to cook nor choke down your father's attempt at a healthy meal."

"So, it's a win," Tim said, putting a quart of milk and some eggs into his fridge.

"I mean... I didn't lose..." Dana hedged.

Tim could hear his father playfully protesting on the other end of the line.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe you two could make it up to me," Dana said. "I haven't seen you in an age and I'm dying for a decent meal so..."

"Brunch on Sunday?" Tim suggested, tucking a six-pack of beer into the bottom shelf of his fridge along with a few veggies.

"Brunch on Sunday is perfect. Sebastian's parents wanted to go with us on Sunday and she was asking about you so I thought we could all meet somewhere and catch up."

"Yeah I just saw Ives for Trivia the other night," Tim said. "It would be good to catch up with his mom. He said she was thinking about moving to the University District."

Tim's father called something indistinguishable from the other room.

"Do I need to know what he said?" Tim asked.

"It's probably better if you don't..." Dana said with a teasing grimness to her voice.

Tim huffed out a laugh and pulled a box of cereal from his grocery bag.

"You're banging around a lot over there. Any chance that means you just got home from work at..." here Dana paused to look at a clock. "7:30 at night?"

"I mean, I did stop for groceries first," Tim said.

"You need a break, sweetie," Dana said in a soft tone of voice. "You worked hard on that last story and you did a great job. But..."

"I know, I know," Tim said. "I will."

"What are you having for dinner?" Dana asked suspiciously.

Tim eyed the box of cereal he had just popped open.

"Ummmm..."

"Tell me the answer isn't cereal?"

"Soooooo... how's work been?" Tim asked and Dana laughed on the other end of the line.

They chatted a little bit longer before Dana said a quick goodbye so she and his dad could make their dinner reservation.

Tim smiled as he poured himself a bowl of cereal for dinner. He was half-way through his first bowl when his phone buzzed again. He didn't recognize the number but swiped it open anyway.

"Hel—" Tim didn't even get a chance to finish saying hello before he was cut off.

"Sorry, I meant to call you sooner but I got stuck on a deadline with a different reporter."

It took Tim a minute to pinpoint who the voice belonged to. Then he realized it was a fact-checker/researcher he had asked to help him dig through the land deeds for the property around the lake. She was young, just out of college, but she was good. Very diligent.

Her name was Sonia Margite and she had helped Tim on his last case

"The county records office did call me back. I just didn't get a chance to touch base with you before you left. Got time now, or did you want to meet tomorrow?"

"Now's good. What have you got?"

"A name: Jethro Waytt. He's the guy who owns the plot of land you were asking about."

"What's his deal?"

"His deal is that he's old as dirt. He's a retired HVAC technician. Was in a union most of his life. No priors, paid his bills on time. Avid hunter. The property in question is in a tax abatement program designed to make it easier for people to own land they don't plan to develop. Given the fact that he got a hunting license for multiple types of game every single year, I'd say he was using it for hunting."

"Not anymore?"

"Now he's like 89 and living with his son. He hasn't had a hunting license in over ten years and he transferred ownership of his guns over to his youngest son."

"Anything on the son?"

"A dentist who doesn't hunt but does seem to like renting beachfront properties over the 4th of July."

"Very boring family."

"Very boring family," Sonia confirmed.

"So... probably not involved in anything hinky..."

"Nope, but here's a thing..."

"Ohhh I like things. What's the thing?"

"The thing is that there's a company that's trying to buy the land from the Waytt family."

"Why is that a thing? The family clearly doesn't use it anymore."

"It's a thing because they can't develop the land."

"Why not?"

"Because Waytt had the property in the tax abatement program, it can't be developed anytime in the next ten years. If they do develop it, they have to pay back the difference in the taxes for the last two decades, which isn’t exactly an insubstantial sum."

"So why buy it then?"

"Excellent question," Sonia said smugly.

"Who is trying to buy it?"

"Mmm, that's the weird part. It's not a land developer or anything. It's just a holding company."

"Who owns the holding company?"

"No one, really. It's just maintained by this guy named Martin Langford."

"Martin Langford?"

"Yeah, I haven't had time to look into him too much. All I have on him is that he's a lawyer located in Metropolis. He passed the bar in New York, Washington, DC and Los Angeles. That's about all I have on him."

"Isn't he the guy that Lois Lane did an expose on a few years back?"

Sonia went quiet on the other end of the line and Tim heard her clacking on her computer.

"Ohhhhh yeeeeah," she trilled. "This is the guy."

"He works for Luthor?"

"Yeah, the guy was the part of the appeals team the last time Luthor was tagged on insider trading."

"Interesting... And he owns some property adjacent to Waytt's?"

"He owns all the property adjacent to Waytt's."

"Sonia, I owe you a coffee."

"My man, you owe me several coffees. And I want contributor credit on this when you crack whatever big crazy thing you're working on wide open."

"You got it."

"What are you working on?"

"Not totally sure yet. It's something about algae."

"Algae?"

"Yes."

"That sounds boring as shit."

"Everyone keeps telling me going after corruption in Gotham City is like shooting fish in a barrel, so I decided to diversify."

"From fish to algae?"

"Exactly."

"Still sounds boring. Have you considered, like, tracking down a serial killer or something?"

"That feels a little creepy. What if he serial murders me?"

"Then I'd publish the story, expose his crimes, avenge your death, and rise to prominence in the newspaper."

"You're terrifying."

"I'm good at what I do."

"That's what makes you so terrifying."

"You know it."

Tim laughed and promised her a beer instead of the coffee. Sonia threatened to hold him to it. Tim hung up the phone, still smiling.

So, while Luthor didn't own the land around the lake, he likely owned the adjacent properties.

It was a promising lead.

Tim dipped his spoon back into his bowl only to realize his cereal had gone soggy. Tim grimaced down at the bowl and decided he was done with cereal for the night. He tossed the rest in the trash before grabbing a beer and a bag of pretzels.

Tim made his way to his sofa and settled in, popping his beer and pulling up Daily Planet's homepage. He absently chewed on a couple of pretzels as he scrolled through the news feed.

Lois Lane hadn't put out a new article in almost two weeks, which probably meant she was on to something big.

What was it Superman had said? Something about baby formula?

He checked out a few other papers then moved on to check to see if anyone had reported any interesting algae blooms, unusual flora, or fauna.

While he didn't find anything in the newspapers, Tim did get a couple of hits on social media.

There were a few Chirper posts with pictures of the same lake Tim had found. There was one other post with shots of an algae bloom that looked like a different body of water. There were also some pictures of what looked like some mangy, rabid wolves.

Tim wrinkled his eyebrows as he looked down at the pictures in his Chirper feed.

While the story did have slight penetration in social media, it hadn't made its way to the mainstream press.

Tim wondered if it was because there wasn't an actual story here, or if it was because no one else had figured out that there was more at stake than a sick looking giant coyote and some pretty algae?

Tim finally stumbled off to bed around one in the morning. He had spent most of the night pouring over the news and social media posts and his eyes were starting to burn. He fell into bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin.

Closing his eyes, Tim heard nothing but silence echoing in the high ceilings of his empty apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is gonna suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck so I'm posting tonight.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy~~


	5. Chapter 5- Lattes, Zoology, and Bad Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim dodges his editor and meets someone unexpected. Peej gives Kon some advice.

"Drake? Are you coming?" Conrad called to him on his way to the conference room.

Tim leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Shaking his head to try to bring himself a little bit more back into the here and now, Tim glanced after his departing editor.

"Yeah, be there in a minute," Tim called back to him.

His eyes were tired, and his brain felt...

Fried.

Tim hadn't been able to sleep the night before. A mix of anxiety and weird dreams kept him from getting any measure of decent rest. Tim eventually gave up trying to sleep and decided to just get dressed and go into the office early.

If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well be productive…

He had grabbed a latte with two extra espresso shots on the way into the office and still managed to be in by 5:30 in the morning. The bullpen was deserted and almost eerily quiet. Reporters were not known for their strict adherence to a nine to five schedule and almost none of them came in before eight-thirty in the morning. Tim sat down to start digging into the property deeds and information Sonia had surfaced for him the day before.

Time flew as he read through the files and the next thing he knew it was ten-thirty in the morning and time for the Editorial Meeting.

Tim levered himself out of his chair, grabbing his coffee cup and laptop. He took a sip of coffee as he walked to the conference room and winced when he realized it was cold.

He couldn’t remember when exactly he had poured this cup, but it was clearly time for some fresh coffee.

Tim said as little as humanly possible in the Editorial Meeting. He assured Conrad again that he was onto something interesting, inwardly hoping he wasn't lying. He pretended to think a couple of bad ideas from his colleagues were good and a couple of ok ideas were even better. When he finally filed out of the conference room with the rest of the reporters, Tim promised himself a cup of coffee from the really nice coffee shop a few blocks from the Gazette's office.

Tim deposited his laptop on his desk, pocketed his keys and cell phone, then spilled his cold coffee out of his travel mug in the sink in the bullpen’s kitchen area. He gave Conrad an airy wave as he walked to the stairs. He just lifted one eyebrow at Tim as Tim walked away.

Hoping Conrad was distracted by something else by the time he got back, Tim fished his headphones from his jacket pocket as he exited the building.

He was just popping the buds into his ears when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Tim rolled his eyes and was about to tell the person that he didn't carry cash when he caught sight of the man trying to get his attention.

It was Rush.

Only this time he was dry and absolutely fully conscious.

He was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket over a t-shirt with a picture of a bird on it. He looked—

Good.

Handsome.

Maybe a little nervous.

Tim spun around to fully face him, eyes wide.

"Oh, wow. Hey," Tim stammered out.

"Hey," Rush said back, his voice low and sounding a little shy.

"You... I mean, Jeez— Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good.”

“I’m— My name is Tim. We haven’t actually… Been introduced, I guess. I feel like we should be past this but we for sure aren’t…”

“Yeah, Superman… Superman told me your name.”

“Wow, that was not a thing I ever expected anyone to say to me.”

“I’m… I’m Rush,” he stammered out with a crooked smile. “Are you... Did you have time to grab a coffee... or something?" 

Tim lifted his empty coffee cup and grinned at Rush.

"Way ahead of you, bud."

"Know anywhere good, nearby? I'm not... I don't spend a lot of time in Gotham."

"Yeah," Tim said, smiling at him. "I know just the place."

Tim led Rush down the street to a local independent coffee shop. He couldn't help but watch Rush out of the corner of his eye as they walked.

"Your... I mean Superman came to visit me yesterday."

"Yeah, he said..."

"He like, hovered on my fire escape... I’m going to be totally honest with you, it was a little creepy."

Rush smiled dimly and nodded.

"I can see how that could make someone uneasy..." Rush conceded. “But he is a good guy.”

"Does he, like, do that to Lois Lane at all? Or am I getting special treatment?"

"Ummm, I don't think so," Rush hedged and cut his eyes away from Tim.

That was... an interesting response...

Tim pushed open the door to the coffee shop and ushered Rush inside. He followed behind him, trying hard to resist the desire to look at his butt. It was framed very nicely in his well-worn jeans.

It was pushing eleven at this point and the place wasn't as busy as it was during the morning commute.

Rush hesitated some distance from the counter, Tim looked back at him as he sidled up to the register. The barista tucked a towel into her apron and walked over to Tim with a smile.

"Large Americano?" she asked, holding out her hand for Tim's travel mug.

"Absolutely," Tim said, then turned back to look at Rush. "What did you want?"

"Ummm, I don't drink... a lot of coffee..." Rush hedged as he looked up at the menu on the wall.

The barista winked at Tim and smiled widely at Rush.

"I have just the thing, then," the barista said.

"Ummm, ok..." Rush said.

"Trust me," Tim said, walking back over to Rush. "She's a miracle worker. You won't be disappointed."

Rush nodded nervously and Tim paid. Then Tim led him over to a small booth away from the rest of the crowd in the shop.

"So why ask me out for coffee if you don't drink coffee?" Tim asked, smiling at Rush.

"I, um... Asking if you wanted to grab ice cream just didn't seem... Professional...?"

"Are we being professional?" Tim couldn't help but ask, tilting his head curiously at Rush.

A flush came up on Rush's cheeks and he looked away from Tim, preferring to focus instead on a large potted plant over in one corner.

Rush was saved from having to respond to that question by the barista calling to Tim that his order was ready. Tim walked back to the counter and scooped up his travel mug and a paper coffee cup for Rush.

He handed Rush the cup with a smile, Rush took it from him uncertainly. He sniffed at the cup and his expression smoothed.

"Smells spicy."

"Spiced Latte with a little bit of vanilla," the barista called to him. "You'll like it, I promise."

Tim lifted his mug to Rush's and tapped it against his in a mock toast.

"Cheers," Tim said.

"Uh... cheers," Rush said.

Rush also took a tentative sip, but his face relaxed into a happy expression as he caught the flavor of the coffee."

"So, it's good?"

"It's good," Rush confirmed.

Tim nodded and eyed Rush consideringly.

"So, you're really doing fine? No lingering after-effects from our adventure the other night?" Tim asked casually, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No, I'm... I'm fine. Really. Thanks to you. Su— I mean..." Rush trailed off hesitantly, looking nervously around the coffee shop as if not sure what to call Superman. Now that they were inside, there was more of a chance that someone could overhear them.

"Blue?"

"Yes," Rush said, looking relieved. "Blue said the CPR probably saved my life."

"I'm really glad to hear that. I just," Tim broke off, swallowed around his suddenly tight throat, and shook his head. "I just... The last time I did CPR on someone it didn't end nearly as well and it's just... I'm just glad you came out of it ok."

"What happened the last time?"

Tim's mind flashed back to that day at Louis Grieves. The smell of spent bullets and blood spilled on the too hot sidewalk. The feel of his fingers slipping on Darla's chest, unable to keep their purchase because of all the blood from the bullet wound.

"It doesn't—" Tim started and shook his head before shooting Rush a smile he hoped wasn't too bleak. "Story for another day. I like the ending of this story better."

Tim emphasized the point by tapping the high-topped table between them with his forefinger.

Rush watched him thoughtfully before nodding.

"Su— Blue... he said you're a reporter."

Tim took another sip of his coffee and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"For the Gazette. For a couple of years now."

"Blue said... You're not going to—"

"Nope. Like I said to him, I consider any near-death experiences off the record. Professional courtesy."

Rush gave him a small, crooked smile that made Tim's heart jump in his chest in ways he didn't want to think about too carefully.

"Do things like this happen to you that often?"

Tim felt the smile melt off his face and he grimaced at Rush.

"I live in Gotham City. More to the point, I'm a reporter in Gotham City. I— Yeah, I've had my fair share of brushes with death. Nothing quite like that, though."

"Thank you," Rush said, speaking quickly. "For saving me, I mean. You didn't have to."

"I'm just glad I could. I was worried I hadn’t moved fast enough."

Rush took another sip of his coffee and his face flushed.

"I am looking into the algae though, if only for the environmental aspect. I'm worried what that stuff might be doing to, like, the local alligator population..."

"There aren't any alligators in Metropolis," Rush said, sounding a little unsure and curious as he said it.

"Yeah, I used to think that about Gotham too..."

"And?"

"Then I ran into a six-foot-long one with red eyes on the platform of the F Train on my way home from the bar one night."

"It... It was on the train platform?"

"Yup. And it was real mad."

"Why?"

"Why was it mad or why was it on the platform?"

"I mean, both?"

"I imagine it was mad because it was on the platform. As for why it was on the platform... The lady next to me speculated that it was on its way to the fish market on 14th street."

"That seems... Unlikely."

"As likely as anything else, really. Remember, you’re in Gotham," Tim said airily before taking another sip of coffee.

Rush huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

"If you say so."

"What about you, you worried about this at all?" Tim asked, nudging Rush's hand with his coffee cup.

"I— I'm a little concerned. I'm looking into some things with Blue and I am meeting with... you met... um... you went to a lab that..."

"Peej?" Tim asked.

Rush looked relieved again.

"Yes, Peej's lab. She's doing tests. I'm meeting up with her tomorrow to discuss the results."

"Ohhhh, primary research. Very nice," Tim said, leaning forward excitedly. "What are the chances she'll keep me in the loop on this one?"

"I— Hard to say..." Rush hedged, cutting his eyes back to the potted plant again.

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about," Tim said, grimacing into his travel mug. "I was not on top of my game that night. I was all shaken up, so I didn't get any samples of my own. She took my clothes and everything. I guess even if I had gotten samples, I wouldn't have known where to go to get them analyzed. I’m guessing she has some pretty specialized equipment." 

Rush hummed noncommittally.

"I guess I could go back and get some samples of my own," Tim mused. “It’s not like the lake is going anywhere. I just would worry about the proper way to store the samples…”

"No," Rush said firmly, placing a hand flat on the table between.

"No?" Tim asked, feeling a little defensive.

Rush was cute but Tim notoriously did not respond well to being told what to do.

"It's dangerous..." Rush clarified. "That creature could come back at any moment and—"

"Woah, woah, woah," Tim said, putting down his coffee and lifted his hands in a 'hold up' gesture. "Creature?"

Rush looked nervously around the coffee shop and Tim pitched his voice low, leaning in over the coffee table.

"Tell me more about this creature. It was hard to see what was happening in the dark. Were you attacked by something?"

"I mean, yes. How did you think I ended up in the water...?"

"I... Didn't ever really think about it..." Tim said, then grinned at Rush sheepishly. "Good thing I don't rely on my keen investigative mind to, like, pay my rent or anything."

"Good thing," Rush agreed, smiling back.

"So what attacked you? Did you get hurt? I didn't notice you bleeding..."

"I don't... I don't usually bleed," Rush said, his eyes cutting away from Tim evasively.

"Yeah, I guess that tracks. I’ve never seen Superman bleed ever, either.”

"Anyway, Krypto spotted the thing first..."

"Krypto?”

“Yes, Krypto is my dog. He went after the thing and I went in to help and..."

"And things got rough?"

"It knocked me into the water and I just sort of... passed out. I lost track of it after that."

"No kidding... Wow. I'm glad it didn't stick around. We'd have been in some serious trouble... Neither of us was in a place to fight."

Rush nodded and took another sip of his coffee.

"What did the thing look like?"

"Big. Kinda furry. Kinda not. Lots of teeth."

Tim nodded thoughtfully and took another sip of his coffee, just giving Rush a little more room to talk about what had happened. Tim was hoping he would fill in a few more details if he stopped asking questions.

"I guess... It's hard to describe," Rush finished lamely and trailed off.

"Sounds like it," Tim said, trying to hide a smile. Rush smiled back at him sheepishly.

"Do you think they're related?"

"The creature and the algae? It would be a pretty big coincidence..."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Tim said. "Maybe the algae could be a byproduct of some sort of nitrogen cycle involved in propagating the creatures..."

"Nitrogen... cycle?"

"I did a lot of reading about algae today," Tim said. "But that's just pure speculation. Peej will probably have better data for you."

"She usually has pretty good data..."

"She seems like that kind of lady," Tim said agreeably.

"I—" Rush started then broke off to take another sip of his coffee.

"You?" Tim pressed, watching Rush consideringly. He looked even more nervous than he had when he stopped Tim in the street.

"I could call you... maybe... after I talk to her..."

"I would like that," Tim said, looking up at Rush over the rim of his travel mug. "You could also call me even if maybe you couldn't tell me what she said. Just to talk..."

"Just to talk...?"

Tim shrugged expansively and tried to seem casual. He probably missed the mark but...

"Think of it as a cultural thing. Here in Gotham City, if you survive a near-death experience with someone, you're, like, connected for life. I'm still best friends with the guy I survived a dicey afternoon with back in high school."

"That's... terrifying..."

"I mean, maybe by Metropolis Standards. Here in Gotham City, we consider it cute to stick by your comrades in arms.”

"Cute…?"

"I mean... Yeah, it's a little cute..." Tim conceded.

Rush huffed out another one of those small laughs and shook his head.

"So, you'll call?"

"I'll... You'd... You'd have my number..."

"Doogle Voice Accounts are a reporter's best friend," Tim said. "Just a VOIP."

"I... I'll look into it," Rush said.

Tim shot him a smile.

"Email works too, if that makes you more comfortable," Tim said.

"I... Thank you..."

Rush was looking down at his coffee cup. Tim watched his face carefully. His blue eyes looked worried, thick dark brows furrowed. His mouth was pressed into a tense line and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

His face was...

It was so expressive. So alive. His cheeks were flushed, his nostrils flared, his eyes flicking over the paper cup.

He looked so...

Alive.

Tim felt something leap in his stomach again. Something close to relief and—

Tim was just going to focus on relief.

"I'm just..." Tim started and then had to swallow because he could hear the tightness in his voice. "I'm just glad you're ok."

Rush looked over at him with serious, intensely expressive eyes.

"I am," Rush said, reassuringly, slowly reaching out a hand to place it over Tim's.

Tim swallowed hard and put his other hand over Rush's, squeezing it gently before releasing it and smiling up at Rush.

"Thanks..."

They finished their coffees and Rush walked Tim back to the Gazette building. They said their goodbyes just before they got to the doorways.

"Talk soon?" Tim asked, giving Rush a wave with one hand as he fished his key fob out of his pocket with the other.

"Talk soon," Rush promised and then turned away to melt into the crowd.

Tim smiled to himself as he passed his key fob over the sensor and slipped back into the building. His phone buzzed in his pocket and Tim fished out. It was a notification for this next meeting, starting in ten minutes.

Tim got to his desk to grab his laptop for his next meeting. He thumbed through his notifications as he walked to the conference room. There were a few texts from Bernard.

*I just checked again. He's still single~~ Wear that blue sweater you have. The expensive-looking cashmere one.*

^*^*^*^*

Kon's breath puffed out in little misty clouds as he panted through pulling open the door to the Fortress. A light pattering of snow was falling around them, Kon's TTK the only thing keeping his clothes from soaking through as he worked. Krypto let out a happy little yip as the door slid open wide enough for him to slip inside. Kon followed suit and shut the doors behind them.

Letting out a sigh of relief when he was ensconced in the warm air of the Fortress, he followed Krypto to the Presentation Hall. Krypto let out small barks of greetings to the creatures that lived in the hall. Kon followed him through the large banks of glass enclosures, leaving out treats and turning on soothing music and sounds as he passed each one.

When he was done, Kon made his way toward the main hall of the Fortress. Krypto stayed behind, yipping happily with a family of Daximite cat-like creatures that he had befriended.

Waving Kelex off, Kon took a seat in front of the large bank of computers and started them up with a voice command. As they turned on, the familiar almost comforting scent of the crystals that powered them heating as they processed filled the space around him.

Kon had been feeling almost off-balance since the incident with the lake and the algae. He had felt so weak, so helpless, almost too drained to breathe on his own. He had been in pain and terrified.

He had been so sure he would die that night.

When he woke to Drake breathing air into his lungs and washing the caustic feeling of algae from his face and mouth, the pain had been unbearable. He only managed to stay conscious for a few minutes until Kal arrived. The minute Kal scooped him into his arms and took off towards the Fortress, Kon had fainted again.

It wasn't until he had woken, hours later, in the Fortress that the pain had even begun to dissipate. Even then it lingered in his chest, making him cough and wheeze for hours. Exposure to sun lamps that Kal kept in the Fortress had only done so much to help. He had needed to fly up and almost past the barrier of the ozone to soak up the ultraviolet light of the sun before he began to feel his strength returning fully.

Kon and Krypto had basked in the heat of the sun for hours, Kon just soaking it in and Krypto watching over him worriedly.

Being back in the Fortress brought the memory of that pain, the helplessness he felt, back to the fore. Kon couldn't help but glance over to the sickbed where he had lain just a few days before. It was still draped with the same thick Kryptonian woven blankets that Kal had wrapped around him.

Kon felt a tightness in his chest as he eyed the now darkened Sun Lamps.

"Master Kon-el?" Kelex called as he rolled over to where Kon was sitting in front of the banks of the computers. "Can I prepare a meal for you?"

Kon shook his head, knocked suddenly out of his maudlin reverie.

"I'm fine, Kelex. Maybe go see if Krypto is hungry," Kon suggested as he turned back to the computer.

Kon had always found Kelex a little off-putting. His subservience, his eagerness to please just reminded Kon of what it had been like back in the labs at LexCorp. Everyone at the lab, from the scientists, to the janitors, to the AI, and even the other lab subjects had all been eager to please Luthor no matter what he asked for.

Kon grimaced to himself as he shook his head, turning his thoughts from Kelex and the LexCorp labs back to the task at hand.

The creature that had attacked Kon a few nights before had not been familiar to him. When he described it later to both Kal and Karen, neither had been able to help him identify it and they had been to more planets than anyone else Kon knew. 

Kon was hoping that going through some images of intergalactic zoological specimens might help him identify the origins of the creature. It was possible. Maybe even the algae had an alien source that could account for, and potentially provide a place for relocation, if Kon ever figured out how to find them and round them up.

While there hadn't been any indications that anything from outer space had made landfall at any time in the last six months in the area around the lake, that didn't mean something hadn't been lurking around, unidentified and unseen. Kon tapped quickly at the Kryptonian keyboard bringing up the search program.

Figuring he would narrow his search down to possible lifeforms from the closest neighboring planets, Kon entered data into the search field. He focused on the description, location, and the ability to breathe air close to or matching the atmosphere of Earth.

The program brought about 3,000 possible hits and Kon started scrolling through. He could, of course, have used his super speed, but he was worried that if he did, he might miss something important. His education in the tube included detailed zoological information so he knew he had to keep an eye out for things like sexual dimorphism or seasonal coat and coloring changes when attempting to identify a new species.

Kon was about halfway through the list when Kelex came back, Krypto in tow. Krypto was chewing something and Kelex had a tray with a box and a mug on it. The robot slid the tray onto a table next to Kon's left hand.

"A few snacks for you, sir," Kelex intoned.

Kon glanced over to find a small box of Kryptonian cakes that the Fortress had produced along with a warm Kryptonian beverage Kon had grown fond of over the years. Kal hated but it had a spicy sort of tang that appealed to Kon. 

"Thank you, Kelex," Kon said and reached for the mug. He took a sip as he turned his attention back to the screen.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir? I am quite familiar with the search functions of this particular computer."

"I'm fine, Kelex. I'd rather do it myself. It's one of those things you kind of have to have seen."

"I understand, sir," Kelex said before wandering back off into the depths of the Fortress to do whatever it was he did when he wasn't helping whichever Kryptonian that happened to be there.

Krypto let out a little huff and settled down, curling into a ball at Kon's feet with a contented sigh. Kon reached down a hand to rub absently at Krypto's flank before turning his attention back to the screen.

He was almost done with his pass through the first list of animals when he heard another voice echoing through the cave.

"No, no, Kelex," Karen's voice rang through the high ceilings of the hallways. "I'm fine. I can find him on my own."

"I’m in here," Kon called out to her and a few moments later she walked into the anteroom where he was sitting.

"Hey," Karen said with a grin. "Working hard?"

"I mean... a little."

Karen came up to stand behind his chair. She crossed her arms over the top of the back of the chair and leaned in to peer at the readouts on the screen.

"What are you looking at?" she asked. "Is that a manatee with wings?"

"Ummm, It's called a Styigate," Kon explained.

"And you're reading it up on it. why? Have you taken up Kal's mission of intergalactic conservation?"

"Not exactly," Kon said. He explained to her about the creature he had found and how it had been strong enough to overpower both him and Krypto.

"So you're trying to see if it's something we have a record of here?" Karen asked, eyes narrowing as she scanned the search function on the side of the screen.

"Exactly."

"And do we?"

"Not... that I've found."

Karen hummed thoughtfully and bit her lower lip as she examined what he was working on.

"So, I came here to tell you that there are signs of genetic modifications on the algae," Karen said, still eyeing the screen intently.

“What does that mean exactly?”

"It means that either someone is playing with the algae or…”

"Or?"

Karen sighed and shook her head, leaning down to look Kon in the eye.

"Or the algae is a byproduct from making something a lot larger."

"Something that vaguely resembles a werewolf and can toss me like a Wiffle Ball?"

"That's... that's what I'm worried about," Karen said, looking back up to the screen.

"Not ideal," Kon said grimly.

"Not at all. The thing is..."

"The thing is that there are only a few people who would have the scientific know-how to pull this off." Kon said hollowly.

Karen looked at him with a sympathetic grimace.

"And even fewer who would want to if they did..." Karen said.

"Which leaves us, where?"

"Luthor, for one. Freeze. Maybe a couple of others..."

"Perfect," Kon breathed out.

"Listen, it's not a sure thing," Karen said, reaching down a hand to squeeze Kon's shoulder comfortingly. "I think focusing your time on ruling out any of these guys," she gestured at the screen, "is a good start for now."

"And when we rule them out?"

"By then I'm hoping my samples tell me a little bit more..."

Kon let out a huffing sigh and shook his head.

"I'm worried about what this means," Kon said finally. "The creature I ran into looked like he was in rough shape. Missing patches of hair, areas of its body with open sores, drooling, wheezing. Clearly it wasn’t ready for prime time. What I’m worried about is what will turn up when they are successful with their modifications.”

"That's not the only issue," Karen said grimly.

"Oh?"

"I'm worried what else the by-product could be doing to the natural flora and fauna."

"You’re worried about big genetically modified alligators on the F Train,” Kon said grimly.

“Metropolis doesn’t have an F Train, but yeah. That’s what I’m getting at.”

“You’re not the only person who has expressed that concern to me…”

Karen leaned over Kon's shoulder and snagged a cookie from the box on the table next to them.

"We'll figure it out," Karen said with a lazy shrug. "We always do..."

"Do we?"

"I mean, we get to some approximation of figuring it out, for sure," she said airily.

Kon reached for a cookie of his own, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully.

"So, tell me about the reporter guy," Karen asked, casually taking another bite of her cookie.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing you went to see him and he’s the one who was talking to you about alligators on the F train."

"What makes you think that?" Kon asked, leaning back in his chair and looking up at Karen.

"I mean, the only F Train around is in Gotham City. And let me tell you if an alligator is the scariest thing he’s seen on that train he’s been lucky.”

Kon huffed out a short laugh at that.

“But the guy saved your life," Karen continued. "I'm guessing you at least wanted to look him up."

Kon shrugged and tilted his head with a nod.

"Yeah, I went to find him."

'What did he say? Aside about the alligator."

"That he was glad I was ok."

"Yeah, he said the same thing to me," Karen said with a smile. "He seems like a sweet guy. A little fainty for my taste, but nice."

"He does seem nice," Kon agreed, trying to keep his voice casual and a flush from creeping up his face. "Smart too."

"Yeah," Karen said, the smile melting off her face. "That's what I'm worried about."

"Worried?"

Karen shrugged and shook her head.

"As much as I love Lois and Kal's Earth-bound profession, I would rather have as few investigative reporters kicking around my life as possible..."

"I can... Yeah, I get that."

They were both quiet for a few long moments, the only sound was Krypto's huffing snores as he slept.

"He said he's looking into the algae," Kon said slowly.

Karen huffed out a sigh.

"Let's hope that's all he looks into."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you were hurt, Kal was in a panic and I didn't have a lot of options for decontamination. I don't think it would be too hard for him to find some loose strings to pluck at if he wanted to. I had him all wrapped up in my cape when I brought him into my lab and took him back out, but he could probably figure out where he was via his cell phone..."

"I don't think... I don't think he would do anything to hurt us."

"I don't think so either. But that doesn't mean someone who may be watching him and his work wouldn't want to..."

"You think someone is watching him?"

"He's an investigative reporter. If someone isn't watching him, he's not doing his job very well..."

Kon grimaced and shook his head.

"That's fair."

"I'm just saying, maybe let's keep tabs on him."

"Tabs?"

"Keep talking to him. Be friendly. Make him like us. Then maybe get him a little drunk and pump him for information now and again. See what he's looking into."

"Get him drunk and pump him for..." Kon felt his face flush hot and he looked away from Karen, focusing on the spot on Krypto's collar.

"Yeah," Karen said with a grin. "Keep tabs on him."

"He gave me…” Kon started and then broke off to swallow hard. “He gave me his number. Said to text him..."

"Ohhhh, you got his digits?" Karen teased. "First you get him giving you mouth to mouth then you have him texting you? You work fast."

"No," Kon protested. "I'm not—"

Karen cut him off with a laugh. She reached over and mussed his hair.

"I'm just kidding. He's cute and all but he's probably the most dangerous lay you'd ever have. Anyway, keep me posted."

Karen grabbed another cookie, gave Kon an airy way, and then she was gone.

Kon's face was still hot when she left, thinking about what she had said.

Kon didn't... 

Kon didn't 'date.' Not really.

His life had been chaotic since the minute he had been decanted. Between the VR training sessions, the scientists in the lab trying to make him stronger, more stable and the stress of the pain and trying to just stay alive.

After the lab, Luthor, the scientists, Kon had never really trusted humans.

Not many of them anyway.

Kal had always insisted they weren't all bad. He had introduced Kon to his parents, to Lois, to the people Kal trusted. They had all been nice enough. Kind, accepting, affectionate. They welcomed him into their homes and families but Kon had never really felt a connection with them.

Not until he met Bart and Cassie. 

Aside from Kal, the only people Kon really trusted were Bart and Cassie. They grew up together, fought together, bled together. They were the only people, aside from Kal, Kon ever felt comfortable with.

Feeling safe and comfortable with someone had always been sort of a prerequisite to being attractive to Kon. He hadn't met many people who fit that bill and the ones that did... 

He hadn't ever felt attracted to Bart or Cassie that way. They were more family than anything. 

It had never been hard to fight down the occasional brush of attraction but.

Tim had rescued Kon without a second thought. He was worried about Kon's well-being, asked after him, and seemed genuinely happy to see that Kon was ok. He was looking into what was going on with the algae to protect people. 

Not even necessarily people like himself but people like Kon.

He was kind, thoughtful, smart, funny, gentle, brave, and...

And Kon couldn't stop thinking about the relieved smile that flashed in his brilliant blue eyes when Kon had come awake after he pulled him from the lake.

The memory made something warm and thick swirl in Kon's stomach. Tim's bright smile, his beautiful eyes, his long lashes, and full, full mouth all came up so clearly in Kon's mind's eye.

He swallowed hard, trying to push down the thoughts, the images that were haunting him.

'The most dangerous lay he'd ever have,' Karen had said.

Kon wondered if she was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. Guys. Guys. They had a CONVERSATION. And it only took me 25,000 words!


	6. Chapter 6 - Ducks & Chili

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim meets a friend of Bernard's and Kon throws cornbread at Bart.

Tim did wear his blue sweater and a grey scarf to go with it. Not because Bernard told him to, but because it was his favorite sweater and it was cold as hell out. 

But Tim had to concede that Bernard was right. He did look good in the blue sweater.

Not that Tim needed to impress anyone.

If Tim was being honest with himself, it had been a long time since he had been even remotely interested in dating. The story he had been working on had consumed his whole world and any thoughts of dates or sex or companionship had been thrown to the wayside as he dug deeper into contract law, city planning, and nepotism. 

Now that his life had settled back down…

Tim would be the first person to admit he was feeling a little lonely. 

When he had moved into his new apartment a few months ago, it had felt big and new and like a step in the right direction. He wasn’t living in a crappy shoebox of a walkup five blocks east of the Narrows anymore, he was living in a complex with other young professionals just like himself. 

But the apartment felt almost too big, too empty.

Bernard had been pushing him to meet this friend of his for months. Tim had a sneaking suspicion it was because Bernard wanted him off the market so he wasn’t tempted to go for the guy himself.

But that was Bernard’s problem.

Tim was…

Tim was going to talk to this guy about algae, maybe photography, and if the guy was cute…

The thought of how cute the guy could be was suddenly cut off in his mind as an image of Rush smiling shyly at him over his coffee cup the other day sprung into Tim’s head.

Shaking his head, Tim pulled his scarf tighter around his neck and shrugged deeper into his coat as he walked.

It was cold that morning. Unseasonably cold. It made Tim wonder if Batman was on the trail of some sort of weather manipulating villain or something.

Tim's day had felt interminable, chilly, and frustrating. He was so focused on the conversation he was going to be having with Bernard’s friend that he hadn’t been able to concentrate on his work. He messed around on social media to see if he could track down some former LexCorp employees who might want to chat. He skimmed a few documents, pecked half-heartedly at his laptop, went to meetings, and made some photocopies but he didn’t actually get much done. 

It had felt like three pm would never come.

Tim had left for the meeting way earlier than he needed to, but he still walked quickly. His coat was buttoned up tight and his scarf pulled up around his nose to ward off the cold as he walked to the coffee shop. The buildings rising up around him acted like a wind tunnel and the gusts of chilly air blew forcefully past him, ruffling his clothes and hair. 

When he arrived at the shop, he ordered a latte and found a table tucked into one corner, away from most of the foot traffic. 

It was warm inside, and the air was thick with steam and heavy with the scent of coffee and spices. Tim pulled off his coat and hung it on the back of the chair. He settled into the seat and turned to face the door, watching for Bernard.

He eyed it consideringly before peeking down at his GPS watch. He was nearly fifteen minutes early. Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, Tim glanced down at his notifications. 

A couple of work emails, some likes on Chirper, a text from Dana, some instant messages from his editor...

As Tim thumbed through the notifications, another text came through from an unknown number. It was clearly a Doogle number.

A nervous feeling settled in the pit of Tim’s stomach and he thumbed the message open.

It simply read: *Hey.*

Could be a wrong number, could be from a source, could be a scammer trying to steal what little money he had, could be Bernard catfishing him. 

Each felt equally likely. 

*Hey, back. This is Tim Drake's phone. Have we met recently?* Tim typed back.

Then he set down his phone to pull the lid off his latte. He blew at the hot liquid to cool it before taking a sip.

Tim's phone vibrated as another text came through.

*Sorry, it's Rush. We met the other day at the lake...*

As he read the notification through, Tim felt a flash of something warm shoot through him and he fumbled to swipe his phone back open. He pulled up the text program and reread the message twice.

*Hey! How have you been? You and your pup keeping warm?* Tim typed back and winced at the banality of it, but hit send anyway. 

A few seconds later a picture came through the app.

It was of the white dog, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he smiled happily into the camera. He had a red scarf wrapped around his neck and Rush had an arm draped over his side. Rush was wearing a matching scarf and smiling crookedly, almost shyly, into the camera. 

It was cute as shit... 

Tim was smiling down at the image when Bernard walked up to the table, his friend close on his heels.

"What put that smile on your face, Drake?" Bernard asked with a grin.

Tim shrugged expansively and smiled up at them both.

"Cute dog photos," Tim said simply, tucking his phone back into his pocket and pulling out his notebook and a pen. 

Bernard and the other man sat down at the table next to Tim. Taking a sip of his coffee, Bernard eyed Tim interestedly but before he could tease Tim again, his friend broke in.

"Are you a dog lover?" the man asked with a smile. Tim looked at the man to take him in.

Bernard had been right; the guy was cute. He had short blonde hair that fell into his eyes, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his eyebrows were thick and expressive. He was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf over a neatly pressed button-down. A long thin tie hung around his neck. It took Tim a minute before he realized the tie had a pattern in the shape of flying ducks all across it. 

"I like all animals," Tim said with a smile, offering his hand to the man. “I’m Tim.”

He took it in a firm grip and smiled at Tim.

"I'm Rocky, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," he said, tilting his head toward Bernard knowingly. 

"Yeah, he is not a quiet man," Tim said, grinning over at Bernard.

"You both love it. If I wasn't here keeping the conversation going, you'd both be sitting in gloomy silence all of the time," Bernard said with faux indignance, before taking another sip of coffee.

Bernard was trying to hide a smirk, but he was clearly looking smug. He eyed Tim and Rocky over his coffee cup and winked at Tim.

"Oh sweet, beautiful silence..." Tim intoned reverently.

"I've almost forgotten what that’s like..." Rocky joined in, looking dreamily vacant as he propped his chin on his hand and stared out the window of the coffee shop longingly.

"Ok, new ground rule," Bernard said archly, taking another sip of coffee. "Since I introduced you two, you are not allowed to gang up on me."

“No promises,” Tim said. 

Rocky shot a grin Bernard’s way then sat back up straight in his chair. He took his coffee cup in one hand and leaned back. He had an easy smile on his face as he gestured toward Tim.

"Bernard tells me you've taken an interest in the bioluminescent algae we found."

"I am, I saw it for myself the other day. It’s breathtaking…”

In more ways than one, Tim thought, but didn’t say.

"Oh, it's amazing. It reminds me of the bioluminescent shrimp you sometimes see at the shore in Jersey."

"Is that an area of expertise of yours?”

“Jersey?” Rocky asked, with a sly smile.

Tim laughed and shook his head.

“I meant bioluminescence," Tim pressed curiously, still smiling.

"No, not really," Rocky said hesitantly. "I'll be honest, I'm more of an expert in bird habitats. The aquatic stuff is a bit of a mystery to me."

"So, you haven't tested samples or it or anything?" Tim asked.

"I mean... the area is closed off and fenced in. There are a number of no trespassing signs and no one I know has ever been able to figure out who the property belongs to, so can’t get access to the lake to get samples." 

"Unlike you, my intrepid reporter, some of us are a little more hesitant about flagrant trespassing," Bernard said, his voice was light and teasing but his eyes were serious and worried.

"Ohhhh, are you reporting on this? The algae?" Rocky asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"I'm... considering it. It seems a little strange that it just appeared out of nowhere..."

"Not actually," Rocky said, leaning back in his chair, he took a sip of his coffee. "Again, I'm more of a bird guy than a fish guy, but I know stuff like algae can easily hop from water source to water source."

"Darling, it's a lake... How does something hop from lake to lake?" Bernard asked, eyeing Rocky suspiciously.

Rocky grinned at them both.

"Birds," Rocky said simply.

"Birds?" Tim asked, not totally sure where this was going.

"Anatidae, also known as ducks,” Rocky clarified with a grin when he saw the blank expressions on Tim and Bernard’s faces. “They will often transport insects, plant life and even fish eggs from one closed body of water to another closed body of water. Especially during migration. And this," Rocky said, gesturing around them with his hands, "is prime migration season. It’s about time for them to head to their winter territories."

"Ducks, huh...?" Tim repeated thoughtfully.

"Do you like ducks?" Rocky asked, clearly trying to hide his excitement about the topic.

"Ummmm, less than I like dogs, but sure..." Tim answered hesitantly. "Ducks are good."

"Ducks are amazing," Rocky gushed. "They have the most fascinating nesting habits—"

Bernard cut him off with a groan.

"Please, Rock," Bernard said plaintively. "Please don’t get into the nesting habits again..."

"He speaks often on nesting habits?" Tim asked Bernard, amused.

"So often..." Bernard said, rolling his eyes heavenward as if looking for celestial guidance.

"Not that often," Rocky assured Tim, and Tim couldn't help but smile at him.

"So, what you're saying is that these algae may not only be in that one lake? That it could have been sourced from another area?" Tim mused, trying to bring them back on course.

"Yeah, I think it's likely," Rocky said, turning his attention back on Tim. "So what is this about? Your article? How global warming contributes to localized populations potentially infiltrating new territory and pushing out native species?"

"Ohhh, that'll win you a Pulitzer for sure..." Bernard said, taking another sip of his coffee.

Tim rolled his eyes at Bernard then turned his attention back to Rocky.

"It's actually fascinating," Rocky said. "We're seeing it mostly with insect species now. Mosquitoes and flies and things. They move ever north! Pretty sure it'll be more mobile species like birds next.”

Tim nodded interestedly.

"And you think this algae species is from the south?" Tim pressed.

Rocky hummed and took another sip of his coffee.

"Like I said, I'm more of a bird guy. But from what I know the bioluminescent algae tends to live further south."

"You think it's an existing strain?"

Rocky eyed him sharply for a moment before lifting a curious eyebrow.

"You have reason to believe it's a new one?"

"Is it possible?"

Rocky shrugged and tilted his head to one side consideringly.

"I mean, it's supremely unlikely. Maybe if this was a remote, nearly unexplored territory. But a place just a few miles away from Metropolis? Probably not."

"Good to know..."

"So, Tim," Bernard said, clearly very interested in changing the subject. "Did you tell Rocky that you just won a journalism award? That you're on the fast track to owning the place?"

"Oh yes, let me tell him all about how much I excel at a profession in decline..."

"Did you read the Audubon Society's recent report on bird populations?" Rocky asked.

"No one has read that report, Rocky," Bernard said with faux patience.

"I'm just saying that my profession is dying out almost as fast as yours, so I feel you," Rocky said, giving Tim a sympathetic smile.

"Rocky, did you know that Tim is also interested in photography, baseball, and fine wines?" Bernard asked Rocky conversationally. "And Tim did you know Rocky is a marathon runner, an amateur cook and big fan of French Cinema?"

"He's lying about the wine," Tim said to Rocky before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh good, the only thing I know about wine is that you drink it. He was also lying about the French Cinema."

"Oh, thank God," Tim said. "I know way more about French Cinema than I'd like to."

"How much do you know?" Bernard asked, curiously.

"I know it exists.”

Rocky huffed out a laugh as Bernard made empty protestations about how fascinating wine and French Cinema were.

"I'll have you know that wine and French Cinema are both excellent, especially when paired together."

"I mean... probably better than baseball," Rocky said.

"Hey," Tim shot back. "Ain't nothing better than a Knights game on a sunny Summer afternoon."

Rocky smiled at him and shook his head.

"If you say so..."

Tim watched as Bernard and Rocky teased each other about wine and birds and movies.

Bernard knew way more about birds than Tim had ever imagined, and Rocky knew a surprising amount about cooking...

Tim was wondering how much of this meeting was for his benefit and how much of it was about Bernard wanting to meet up with Rocky. Maybe introduce the two of them.

As the two of them bantered back and forth, Tim’s phone buzzed with a call. Checking the readout, he saw it was an unknown number. Hoping it was one of the LexCorp Employees he had reached out to earlier on the socials, Tim picked up the call.

“This is Drake,” he said.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, he could hear someone breathing though.

“Hello?” Tim said. “Can you hear me ok?”

The person on the other end of the line hung up. 

Shrugging as he looked down at his phone screen, Tim saw that another text had come through from Rush and his dog. The large white dog's face was just a few millimeters away from a window. His breath had fogged the glass and when he pressed his nose to it after, it had left a little imprint in the water molecules. The nose print was almost heart shaped. 

Tim felt his stomach twist with warmth at the sight.

It was too cute.

*He wants to go back out into the cold...* Rush's text came through. 

*How easily is he bribed with treats?* Tim texted back.

*Not as easily as you'd think...*

Tim huffed out a laugh just as Bernard got to his feet.

"Alright, some of us wage slaves need to get back to the office."

Tim and Rocky both got up as well. The three of them shrugged back into their coats. Rocky and Bernard were still chatting about migratory patterns as they did. Tim buttoned his coat up tight and made sure his scarf was tight around his neck. He was pulling on his gloves as they made their way out the door.

"It was nice to meet you, Tim," Rocky said, smiling and holding out his hand. 

"Good to meet you too," Tim said, shaking Rocky's hand and nodding in thanks.

"If you have any other questions, feel free to give me a call," Rocky said, handing Tim his card.

Tim pocketed the card and dug one of his own out of his wallet. He handed it off to Rocky who lifted up in a gesture of thanks. 

"Let me know if you hear anything else about the algae," Tim said. "I'll keep in touch if I decide to move forward with the story,"

"I hope that you do," Rocky said. "It's an interesting topic."

Then they were gone, Bernard tossing an airy way over his shoulder as he and Rocky walked shoulder to shoulder back to the district where they worked. Tim watched them go for another moment before fishing his phone out of his pocket, eager to see if he had gotten any more texts from Rush.

^*^*^*^*^*

Kon was eyeing the six-pack in his fridge consideringly when his phone buzzed. Shutting the door to the fridge, Kon pulled his phone from his pocket and checked his notifications.

Bart's name popped up on his screen along with a text message.

*I'm tired of take out. Make me dinner?*

*You eat too much. It would take me hours to cook enough food for you...* Kon texted back.

*We'll figure it out. I'm bringing groceries.*

*Bring beer too. I don’t have enough for both of us.*

*Roger that.*

Kon shook his head and grimaced, wondering what exactly Bart had in mind for him to cook. Hopefully it wasn't just twenty cubic tons of nachos.

He only had the one oven...

He was just feeding Krypto when his phone buzzed again with a message from Bart saying he was there. Kon padded downstairs wearing only his socks and sweatpants.

"Hello, Conner," Mrs. Kepler said with a cheerful smile.

Mrs. Kepler lived two doors down from him. Sometimes he helped her with her groceries or moving her sofa so she could clean behind it. She was nice but a little nosier than Kon liked. She asked a lot of questions Kon didn’t really ever feel like answering.

"Hi, Mrs. Kepler," Kon called back to her over his shoulder.

"You should be careful going out without a shirt. The temperature dropped quite a bit today," she warned.

"I’m not going out. Just letting my friend in," Kon explained, giving her a wave and making his way to the front door.

She hadn't been wrong about the temperature dropping. A gust of cold air hit Kon when he opened the door to Bart. His TTK firmed up around him in an instinctive shield and Kon fought down a shiver as he held the door open for Bart.

Bart's arms were full of bulging canvas grocery bags. He had a few slung over his shoulders and a few in his hand. He pushed past Kon into the building and Kon shut the door quickly behind him.

Bart was bundled up to the nose, he was wearing a heavy coat, a knit hat, and a thick scarf. He had gloves pulled on over his fingers and his boots came half-way up his legs. Despite all the layers, Bart still shivered as he walked into Kon's building.

"It's too early for it to be this cold. It's not even winter yet," Bart complained.

Kon took a couple of the bags from Bart and slung them over his shoulder. Then they started up the stairs to Kon's apartment.

"I thought you ran hot," Kon said, pushing open the door to his apartment and stepping inside. “Speed force and everything…”

"Just makes the cold all the worse," Bart groaned.

When they pushed inside Kon's apartment, Krypto rushed up to greet Bart. Yipping at him excitedly as Bart rubbed at his ears.

"Hey boy," Bart cooed. "Have you been good today?"

"He's never good," Kon said grimly, lugging the groceries over to the kitchen.

"That can't be true. He's being so good now," Bart said, smiling down at Krypto.

Kon huffed out a laugh and Bart finally followed Kon into the kitchen, setting down the rest of the bags.

"So, what are we cooking?" Kon asked as Bart started unpacking the bags.

"Chili!" Bart said excitedly. "Where's your biggest pot?"

Bart dug around through Kon's kitchen as Kon finished unpacking the bags. Then Bart popped a beer for each of them.

"To chili!" Bart said, tapping the neck of his beer bottle to Kon's.

"To chili," Kon agreed.

Kon started chopping vegetables as Bart dug out ingredients for him. Krypto settled into the corner of the kitchen to watch Kon and Bart cook.

"So... did you meet him for coffee? The guy?" Bart asked, pulling a couple of peppers out of the bag and setting them down near Kon on the counter.

"I did. Yesterday. His name is Tim."

"Tim? I kind of expected something a little more..." Bart trailed off digging Kon's bottle of olive oil from the cupboard above the sink. "A little more hardboiled detective-y"

"Hardboiled detective-y?"

"Yeah, he’s an investigative reporter, right? Shouldn’t he have a name like... Francis Nightingale, Calvin Grayhawk or Alvin Draper."

"Those are terrible names?"

"They're cooler than Tim..." Bart said defensively.

"I mean... Not really. Who names someone Alvin?" Kon asked, sliding the onions he just finished chopping into a bowl and handing it to Bart.

Bart was heating Kon's large Dutch oven on the stove. He poured in the olive oil and then added the onions. They started to sizzle in the pan as Kon worked on some celery.

"So how did it go? What's he like?"

"He's... He's really smart, actually. And nice. I wasn't expecting..."

Bart looked over at Kon inquisitively and tilted his head to one side, asking a question without words.

"I mean I knew he was nice when he saved my life, but I didn't expect him to be that... I don't know... That easy to talk to. I usually have a harder time… connecting… with humans."

Bart hummed thoughtfully and grabbed a wooden spoon from Kon's drawer, using it to stir the onions in the pan.

"It is that he's easy to connect with or that you just don't like interacting with most humans so finding one who is nice is a good surprise?" Bart asked in a neutral tone of voice that Kon couldn't quite place.

"Can't both be true?"

"I mean yes, but one obviously informs the other," Bart pointed out.

"That's fair. I do like him though. More than I expected."

"Do you trust him? Do you believe him when he says that he won't publish anything about you?"

"I do. Mostly because he didn't really ask many questions about me. I mean he asked if I was ok and if I was sure the algae wouldn't have any other long-term effects on me. But that all felt..." Kon trailed off and shook his head, handing Bart the bowl of chopped celery.

"Yeah?"

"That felt more like he was reassuring himself that I was ok than learning about me..."

Bart made another thoughtful sound as he tossed the celery into the pan with the onions.

"So you trust him?"

"I do. I think... Yeah, I trust him."

"That's a relief, then," Bart said thoughtfully, pulling Kon's can opener out of his drawer and opening a few cans of tomatoes.

Kon couldn't help but think about Tim then. His bright, inquisitive eyes, his brilliant smile, the tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and his expressive eyebrows. Tim's gentle, soothing voice, his easy laugh, his long, elegant fingers...

"I think... I think I—" Kon said, feeling his stomach churn slightly as he thought about Tim.

"You what?" Bart asked cautiously.

"I think I like him. I like... I think I like him," Kon stammered out.

Bart put the can opener on the counter with a dull thud then pulled back the lids of the cans. He tossed the diced tomatoes into the pot, focusing closely on what he was doing and not looking at Kon.

"You like him?" Bart asked in a neutral tone of voice as he stirred the tomatoes in, he was pretending to be focused on the pot but he was watching Kon out of the corner of his eye.

"I do. I... He's funny and nice..."

"Funny and nice?" Bart asked, pulling open Kon's spice cabinet and digging out some paprika. He sprinkled some into the pot and put the bottle back into the cupboard.

"Yeah, I mean... He makes me laugh..."

"He's nice, he makes you laugh, he cares about you... Next you'll be asking him out on a date," Bart said, turning to look shrewdly at Kon.

"No! No, I—" Kon stammered out, focusing on chopping peppers and not looking at Bart.

Bart let out and sigh and shook his head. He picked up his beer bottle and took a long pull.

"Just… Just don’t forget about Dr. Keens. You trusted her too, and…”

There were days when Kon dearly wished he could forget about Dr. Keens.

Dr. Keens had been one of his handlers at the lab in LexCorp. When he had first been decanted, she had been…

She had been the only one in the team that had treated him like anything other than a science project. She saw him as a human, an individual, something more than a tool. Or at least it seemed like she did to Kon.

They had bonded over things Kon liked and things he hated, things that frustrated her, things they both wanted in the future. Then she and the other scientists exploited that bond, used it, and used her to manipulate him.

It had been hard, and it had hurt. Kon hadn't had the emotional intelligence or self-awareness at the time to distance himself from what he was feeling. The hurt, the betrayal, all of it had been consuming.

It was part of what pushed Kon over the edge and made him desperate to try to get away.

Kon handed Bart the peppers to toss into the pan along with the tomatoes and onions.

"I'm not 5 months old anymore. I know how to spot someone who means trouble," Kon pointed out, feeling a little defensive but also knowing Bart was at least a little bit right.

Bart let out a sigh and walked over to Kon. He came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Kon's chest, pressing his face into Kon's back. Kon could feel Bart taking long, deep, meditative breaths. Clearly trying to control himself.

"I don’t mean to be a jerk about all of this. I'm just worried about you," Bart said. "I'm happy you're talking to more people. Meeting new people. I really am. You need this. I'm happy you're more open around humans, that you met someone new that you like. It's just—"

"You're worried about me," Kon repeated for him softly.

"I'm worried about you," Bart agreed.

"I'll be fine."

"You're all I have."

"There's Cassie. And Wally too."

"They don't understand. Not like you do. No one ever put them in a cage."

"I know," Kon said and turned to pull Bart into a proper hug.

Bart's breathing had gotten a little faster as his emotions got the better of him. He pressed his face into Kon's shoulder and shook his head.

"I'll be fine," Kon promised.

"I know," Bart said, lifting his head to smile back at Kon. "It's just... I remember what you were like. Right after you got away from Luthor. You were scared of everything. Just everything. You flinched if someone dropped a fork. I don't want you to go back to that. I couldn't stand it. I just couldn't stand to see you so scared like that all the time."

Kon swallowed hard.

He remembered what it had been like too.

Running away from LexCorp had been a risk. He hadn't had anywhere to go, no one to turn to. He was sure Luthor would kill him if he ever got caught. He was scared and heartbroken and in pain from everything Luthor had put him through. He didn't know where he could hide or if anyone could help him. He just... acted on blind faith.

When he found Kal, when he explained everything, when he cried and begged for help, Kal had helped. His faith had paid off then. He learned to trust Kal, and then Bart and then Cassie. His fear had lessened, his nightmares tapered off and then came to a stop.

He learned about his Kryptonian roots, the history of his bloodline.

He learned he was strong.

He learned he was powerful.

He learned to protect himself and to protect others.

He learned that he didn't need to be afraid all of the time.

He learned to move forward.

He couldn't bear the thought of going back to the way he had been either. But he also didn't believe that he would.

He had grown so much in the past decade. He had moved forward. He knew how to trust and love. He learned about friendship and devotion.

Being Kryptonian, being a friend, being a protector, it meant something to Kon now. He wasn't just someone who knew how to survive. He was someone who knew how to live.

"I get that. I do," Kon said to Bart. "But I can't let old fears and biases keep me from living and learning. I think... I think there could be something to this..."

"To this thing with Tim?"

"Yeah, I think together we might be able to figure out what's happening at that lake. To help people. To save people..."

Bart took a deep breath and shook his head. He pulled back from Kon, his eyes still closed and his face tight.

"I just worry..."

"I know," Kon said. "And I appreciate it, but I think..."

"Yeah?"

"I think you'd like him too..."

Bart opened his eyes and smiled at Kon. He tilted his head to one side and nodded before moving back to the pot on the stove.

"Maybe," Bart conceded.

They dropped the rest of the veggies and a bottle of beer into the pot. While the chili simmered, Bart made a triple batch of cornbread and some mashed potatoes. When the food was done, they settled on to Kon's couch with a couple of big bowls of food and fresh beers.

"So," Bart said, settling on to the sofa and spooning up a bite of chili. "Did you tell Kal you have a big boy crush on the intrepid investigative reporter."

"It's not a crush," Kon protested, glaring over at Bart.

"It's absolutely a crush," Bart said, smugly before taking another bite of chili.

"I didn't say anything to him. He doesn't even know we met..."

"I mean, he's Superman," Bart pointed out. "He probably knows."

"That... I don't think I like that."

"Welcome to your life," Bart said with a shrug.

"Do you think he knows?"

"About your big boy crush."

"If I had a big boy crush, do you think he would know?" Kon clarified.

"Oh absolutely."

Kon let out a sigh and took another long pull on his beer.

"Do you think Tim knows?" Kon asked.

"I mean, he's an investigative reporter. If he didn't know, he would probably be very bad at his job. Is he bad at his job?"

"I think he's really good at his job."

"Then he also absolutely knows."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Bart shrugged and grinned at him again.

"Welcome to your life," he repeated.

Kon threw a piece of cornbread at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I for sure forgot it was Thursday! This week has been wild.


	7. Chapter 7 - Brunch, Baseball and Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim goes to brunch with his family and Kon plays baseball with Jon

Breathlessly, Tim walked as quickly as he could without quite breaking into a jog. He hated being late but he knew he was only about three more blocks from the small bistro where he had promised to meet his dad, Dana, and the Ives’ Family for brunch.

Tim had, to put it mildly, slept fitfully the night before. Anxiety dreams ate into his REM and kicked him awake almost once an hour for the whole night. He was usually up pretty early, even on the weekends, so he hadn't bothered to set an alarm the night before. When he jolted awake at 9:47 that morning, he realized he was running very late for brunch.

He had shot off a quick text to Dana assuring her he would be at the restaurant shortly before dunking himself in a quick shower and pulling on his least wrinkled clothes.

He had rushed out the door without having made his usual morning coffee and so the race to the bistro had him feeling tired and heavy limbed.

As he walked, Tim’s phone buzzed with a push notification. Tim swiped it away and about thirty seconds later his phone buzzed with a call. The number was unknown again. 

“This is Drake,” Tim answered, breathlessly.

The line was silent for a few long moments. 

“Hello?” Tim pressed. 

After another few seconds where he was sure someone was live on the other end of the line, the call was cut off. 

Sighing, Tim shook his head in frustration. He had been getting more and more spam calls recently. He wished he could block the numbers but he didn’t want to miss any calls from potential sources.

It was deeply annoying. 

When Tim finally arrived, he stopped short on the sidewalk outside of the bistro to catch his breath. The place was well lit with string lights draped between hanging plants. There was usually outdoor seating, but it wasn't set out this time of year. Large plate-glass windows were fogged at the edges from the breath of the diners and the steam wafting out from the kitchen.

Taking one last deep breath, Tim pushed inside the building and glanced around for his family. It took him a minute to spot them. It wasn't until Dana waved him over that he saw them tucked into the back corner of the restaurant.

Dana and his father were sitting next to each other, backs to the wall. Ives's mom was sitting next to Dana and his father was on her other side. Ives sat next to his dad, leaving a spot for Tim to squeeze in next to his father.

Tim gave everyone an apologetic smile as he pulled off his coat and sat down at the table.

"Sorry!" Tim said, sliding into his seat and reaching for a menu. "I hope I didn't hold anyone up too much."

"Not at all," Ives's mother said, smiling at him, "We just ordered coffee so far."

When the waitress came over to take orders, Tim absently requested a coffee and plate of pancakes with fruit on top. She came back a few minutes later with Tim's coffee. He thanked her and took a long sip.

"You look like you haven't slept at all," Dana said, watching him closely. "Were you working late?"

Tim took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Mmmm, not any later than usual. I have a story I'm working on that followed me to bed," he said. "Weird dreams."

"What are you working on?" Ives asked, looking at him curiously. "I know you and Bernard were meeting with a guy about it. But you never explained what it was about."

"Ummm," Tim hedged. "I'm not sure yet. I'm just pulling at some threads at this point..."

"More corruption?" Tim's father asked, eyeing Tim suspiciously.

A couple of the city council members implicated in Tim’s last exposé had actually gone to college with his dad at Hudson, years ago. His father had really been the only person in his life that hadn't been totally pleased with Tim's story. Then again, Jack had never really been that supportive of Tim’s entire career.

When Tim had told Dana and his father that he was thinking of majoring in journalism, his father had pushed him to change his mind. He said Tim would never be able to provide for a family writing little stories. Real men, Jack had said, went into business.

Dana had been supportive, she acted as a buffer between them as Tim pursued his degree and started out in his career. Tim had thought his father was coming around on his profession when Tim had gone after the city council. 

Then all of Jack's former concerns all seemed to reemerge again.

Tim tried not to talk to his father about his job. He generally tried to keep the conversation focused on neutral topics like Knights games. Sometimes his dad backed him into a corner, though.

"It’s possible," Tim said, evasively. "I'm following some leads on an environmental issue. So... who knows where it'll ultimately lead."

"Well just be careful," Dana warned. "You don't want to be running around on so little sleep. It's dangerous."

Tim nodded then changed the subject to Ives's recent promotion at work. They all chatted about Ive's job and his boss and the snacks they had in the break room there. When the food finally arrived, Tim's father seemed to relax as they all dug into their meals.

"So Sebastian," Dana said, forking up a piece of omelet. "Your mother tells me you have a girlfriend."

"I mean, we've been on a few dates but I wouldn't call her my girlfriend just yet," Ives said, looking nervous.

"She has not yet been invited to Trivia Night," Tim said. "That's when you know it's serious."

"What about you, Tim?" Ives's mother asked Tim. "Have you invited anyone to Trivia Night recently?"

"Tim has never invited anyone to Trivia Night," Ives said, looking disapprovingly at Tim.

"That is by design," Tim pointed out. "Trivia Night is not exactly the place you take someone to impress them..."

"You're saying we're not impressive?" Ives asked, indignantly.

"Ives, we lost to the Cruisin' Cowboys last week..." Tim pointed out. "It was not an impressive showing on our part."

"It was fun," Ives protested.

"Every time we got another question wrong, Callie threw jalapenos at you..."

"I mean... They weren't big jalapenos..."

Tim just let that comment speak for itself.

Tim's father cleared his throat to break the silence and cut in.

"Well son, are you seeing anyone? I don't remember you having a serious girlfriend in years I think..."

Tim took a deep breath, trying to decide how best to answer. 

His relationship with his father had always been a little tense, even after Dana had come into their lives. It had gotten worse when Tim came out as bisexual. His father hadn't handled it well and Tim had moved out a few weeks later to go off to college. Then he went for a journalism degree and not business, which made everything even more complicated and tense.

Subsequently, Tim tended to keep his love life pretty quiet, especially around his parents. He never really dated anyone long enough to introduce them to anyone outside Bernard and maybe sometimes Ives.

"You know how it is with us intrepid reporters," Tim said airily. "No time for romance."

"You need to start making time. You know, my friend Rich’s daughter just moved to Gotham. The two of you should—"

Tim's father broke off with a small gasp when Dana elbowed him firmly in the side. 

Tim gave her a grateful smile. 

"I'm pretty sure your friend Rich’s daughter has better things to do than go to Trivia Night with me and Ives..."

"Speak for yourself," Ives cut in. "I’m sure my girlfriend will love Trivia Night.”

"Odds are, she's not super into Trivia or Wizards and Warlocks, Ives..." Tim pointed out.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," Ives said, giving Tim a side smile.

"That's the spirit, Sebastian!" Jack said. "That's the kind of attitude you need!"

Tim and Ives eyed each other and decided to leave to the "Ok, Boomer" they were both thinking, unsaid. 

Dana caught the look they gave each other and smiled at them both. 

"Jack, Tim gets to make his own decisions about his love life. I'm sure when he meets the right person, he'll let us know."

Rush's face flashed in Tim's mind and he felt his face get warm and his throat get tight. He took a long sip of coffee to try and hide the expression on his face. Judging by the look on Dana's face, though, he hadn't quite succeeded.

Tim gave her a wry smile and nodded.

"You two will be the first to know," Tim promised weakly.

Dana smiled warmly back at him.

Tim would be lying if he said he hadn't had a minor freak out when Dana moved into their house with them after Jack woke up from his coma. However, the two of them had bonded over helping his dad get back on his feet.

Tim had inherited his father's temper and Dana found a way to deftly keep the peace between the two of them. Tim would always be grateful to her for that. 

"Can I have a pancake?" Ives cut in, pulling Tim's attention back to him. Tim slipped one of his pancakes on Ive's plate along with some berries. Ives thanked him and dug in. 

Tim asked the waitress for a second cup of coffee as Ives' mother cut in. 

"So will we see your name on some bylines soon?" she asked. "I haven't seen any of your stories in the paper recently."

"Mmmm, another week or two," Tim said. "Again, I'm in the early stages of reporting, so it'll be a little while."

They chatted about Tim's job, Ives's job and their parents’ plans to see a play the next weekend. 

When they finally finished up and paid the check, they all trailed outside, buttoning up their coats and wrapping scarves around their neck.

They stood outside of the bistro for a few long moments, giving kisses and saying goodbye. He was hugging Dana when he noticed a man in a parked car, watching them.

He was a middle-aged man, maybe ten years older than Tim's father. The man looked disheveled, a thick stubble lined his chubby face. His hair was mussed and he looked like he had a large stain on his coat. 

As Tim watched, the man in the car lifted a camera to his face and took a picture of their group.

A feeling of dread sunk into the pit of Tim's stomach. He pulled back from his hug with Dana, saying something mindless, still watching the man in the car out of the corner of his eye. 

"Are you ok?" Dana asked, pitching her voice low.

Tim looked down at her and tried for a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, no. I'm fine. Just distracted by work."

Dana made a soft, gently skeptical sound before reaching up a hand and patting Tim's cheek.

"Just make sure you get enough sleep and..."

"And?"

"I'm holding you to that promise. When you do find someone, we want to be the first to know. No matter who he or she is..."

Tim felt a warm wave of affection for Dana and he pulled her into another hug.

"Thanks, Dana."

His dad called Dana away and Tim gave them all an airy wave as they took off in different directions. 

Tim turned back towards his apartment building at a slow pace, pulling out his phone. He pretended to fiddle with it as he took a quick picture of the man, his car and his license plate. 

Tim pulled up his work messaging system on his phone and pulled up Sonia's number.

*Hey,* he texted, *sorry to bug you on the weekend but I have a favor.*

*Can I redeem this favor for goods and services?*

*Absolutely. I will get you the nicest coffee ever on Monday.*

*Alright, what did you need?*

Tim texted her the picture of the license plate on the car.

*Do you have a way to track this plate?*

*Where did you see this car?*

*Outside a bistro where I was meeting with my parents. He was taking pictures of us.*

*Creepy. Are you sure he wasn't just a pervert?*

*I mean, I'm 85% sure he's a pervert. That's not the part I'm worried about. I'm worried he is a pervert AND something else that's not good.*

*Super fair. Give me 20.*

Tim was already home and kicking off his shoes in the entryway of his apartment when Sonia called him. 

"Hate to return a text with a call buuuuuuut..."

"Is he a very bad guy?"

"He's a guy who is using the car of a nice old lady with ties to the Russia mob."

"Ohhhhh... not good..."

"Super not good. You should probably tell Conrad.”

Conrad was Tim’s editor. Tim wasn’t super looking forward to telling him he had stirred up another hornet’s nest over something he wasn’t even completely sure he had the story on.

"We're not totally sure he was following me just yet."

"Tell. Conrad," she repeated. "Or I'll tell him for you."

"Fine. I’ll let him know," Tim hedged.

"You still owe me that coffee. And, since I've probably saved your life, you also owe me one of those fancy chocolate croissants." 

"Done."

"Now, promise me you'll go into hiding for the rest of the weekend."

"Promise."

"See you Monday."

"See you Monday," Tim confirmed and they hung up.

Tim went into his kitchen to make himself another pot of coffee, wondering what the hell he was going to say to Conrad...

^*^*^*^*^*^*

Jon was lacing up his sneakers, his baseball bat and glove tucked up against a corner of the wall. He grinned up at Kon and popped to his feet.

"Ready!" he said, pulling his red Meteors cap more firmly down on his head.

"Alright, let's do this," Kon said.

Jon called out a goodbye to his parents and they were almost to the door when Lois came around the corner.

"Wait, young man," Lois said sternly.

Jon let out a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah?"

"No junk food, remember? You had pizza for dinner last night," she said, eyeing Kon sternly.

"No pizza," Kon promised.

"And you'll keep a lid on things? No hitting balls to the moon or anything?"

"Moooooooom, the bat would break," Jon whined, picking up his bat and tucking it over his shoulder. 

She narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips.

"How do you know?"

"Farmyard accident," Kon explained. "It was years ago. No one saw, I promise."

Lois let out a skeptical sound just as Kal came around the corner and wrapped an arm around her waist affectionately.

"I'm sure the boys will be careful," he said, half reassuring Lois and half warning Kon and Jon.

"Absolutely," Kon promised.

"For sure," Jon said too. "We're always careful!"

"Have fun," Kal said, giving them a wave.

Kon and Jon rushed out before Lois could stop them again.

"Your mom is scary," Kon said, as they made their way outside Kal's apartment building.

"Man... My mom's one of the best investigative reporters in the country and my dad is a superhero who can see and hear everything. You have no idea how scary my life can be."

Kon had to concede that point. 

"Sooooo, pizza for lunch?" Jon pressed with a sneaky smile.

"No, we promised your very scary mom not to eat pizza."

"Soooo..."

"Burgers and milkshakes, obviously."

"Obviously," Jon grinned up at him. 

It was a beautiful day in Metropolis. The sun was shining and the temperature was warmer than it had been for a few days. The last vestiges of summer were in full force and the batting cages were packed.

Kon and Jon waited until one of the cages opened up, chatting idly about the baseball season that year and how Jon had developed a new obsession with an ice cream flavor he could only seem to find in the Meteor's park.

When a cage finally opened up, the two of them stepped up and prepped to bat.

Jon and Kon had been going to batting cages together for years now. Jon had suggested baseball as a means for Kon learning to control his strength when he finally broke out of Luthor's labs. Kal had thought it was an excellent idea.

They had found a big vacant field, no one around for miles, and three of them had played a lot of catch, hit a lot of balls. While Kon had broken his fair share of bats and ruined dozens of baseballs, he had also learned to control his strength.

Eventually, it stopped being a thing Kal, Jon and Kon did together in an empty field and started being a thing Jon and Kon did together to catch up. There was a batting cage near the baseball field in Metropolis and the two of them started going together.

Jon went first, he always did. They set the pitching speed to medium and Jon took it slow and easy, making sure he didn't hit so many home runs as to stand out.

Laughing and teasing Jon, he managed to finish his pitch count without breaking his bat.

When it was Kon's turn to go up to bat, the grip was still warm from where Jon had clutched it. Teasing Kon, Jon upped the speed of the pitches. Kon relaxed into an easy batting stance, knees bent, elbows out, knuckles aligned...

The thud of the ball against his wooden bat was heavy and satisfying. The first pitch came in perfectly and Kon hit it directly.

Jon let out a whoop as the ball sailed up and hit the net above them.

"That one would have been a solid 425 feet!" Jon crowed.

"475," Kon shot back.

"You wish!" Jon teased.

Kon made a face at him and pulled his baseball hat down more firmly over his head. He eased back into his stance and hit another ball, this one would have been a perfect line drive.

Jon let out a low, impressed whistle and Kon shot him a grin.

"Don't worry, Kiddo. I'll show you how it's done," Kon teased.

Jon's smile widened before his expression turned briefly serious.

Another pitch came in and Kon swung and hit it. This one went off into what would have been foul territory as Kon thought about that shift in expression.

"You good, buddy?" he asked, tentatively, pointedly keeping an eye on the ball and not on Jon.

"I'm... I'm good," Jon said slowly, picking at one of the leather knots in his baseball glove and not watching Kon.

"Hmmmm," Kon just hummed in reply, He watched Jon out of the corner of his eye and Jon's face still looked serious.

"I guess it's just..." Jon started and then shook his head.

"Just what?" Kon asked, taking a swing at another pitch. It was wide and Kon whiffed on it, the ball buzzing past him and into the netting behind them.

"You know Maya and I... We're kind of an item now..."

"Oh yeah? That's awesome. Good for you kid," Kon said, shooting a grin over at Jon.

"Yeah, it's been great. She's really nice and very sweet."

"Were you worried about telling me? Is that what this is about?"

"No... It's not that..."

"What is it?" Kon asked, whiffing on the next pitch too.

"You don't have a girlfriend..." Jon said slowly.

"No, I don't," Kon replied, not totally sure where Jon was going with all of this.

A breeze kicked up and the dirt around the plate Kon was crouched over wafted up into the air, making Kon feel like he needed to blink to get it out of his eyes.

"Do you want one? Like do you ever?"

Kon hit the next pitch way too hard. It blasted through the netting with a puff of friction smoke and hit the brick wall behind it. The wall cracked and the baseball exploded in a burst of leather and thread.

"Oooops," Jon drawled but otherwise didn't betray the fact that Kon had just destroyed a baseball and maybe part of the wall.

"Uhhh," Kon stammered.

"Set up!" Jon called to him. "Next pitch!"

Kon moved probably a little too fast to get back into his batting stance before the next pitch came over the plate. He made sure he hit it softly this time.

"Maya is a human," Jon said, his voice pitched low so only Kon could hear over the noise of the batting cage.

"I—" Kon stammered and took a deep breath before hitting the next pitch. "Yeah, I know."

"Do you not have a girlfriend because you don't like girls or because you don't like humans..." Jon asked and the question came all in a rush, as if he needed to get it out before he could stop and think about it.

"Rao," Kon said, stood up fully, watching Jon as a pitch flew by him. "Jon."

"I think... I think given everything that's happened, it's a valid question..."

"Jon, it's not because I don't like humans. I like your mom. She's human. I like Cassie, she's human. I like you, you're part human. And I'm part human too."

"I... I know... It's just..."

"Just what kiddo?" Kon asked, another pitch speeding past him and hitting the backstop with a thud.

"I guess... I guess I've been worried that maybe we were all exceptions to the rule."

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"I— yeah. Yeah, you are," Jon admitted, nodding. "You're missing pitches..."

Kon settled back down into his stance and hit the next ball as softly as he could manage with his heart pounding like it was.

"Listen," Kon said, swinging at the next pitch. "I'm here because I want to be. I love you and Lois and everyone on this planet. I want to protect them, to keep them from feeling the things I felt."

Kon paused to swing at another pitch and Jon was focused on the netting that caught the pitch.

"Your dad... Your dad told me that I could go. That there were places in the universe that were safe for me," Kon said. "But he also told me that I could stay here, on Earth. That I could help people who were hurt like me and I could learn about my roots."

"Your roots?"

"My Kryptonian heritage. I stayed. He taught me. And I learned that, when it comes to humans, Luthor is the exception. Not the rule."

Jon nodded slowly.

Kon's pitches were up and he slung his bat over his shoulder and made his way over to Jon. He put a hand on Jon's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"You thought I didn't like humans?" Kon asked, softly. "Just because I don't go on many dates?"

Jon looked up at him wryly.

"You don't go on any dates," Jon pointed out.

Kon sighed and rolled his eyes a little.

"I'm just waiting for the right person," Kon said and ushered Jon back out of the batting cages.

Jon picked a burger joint about a half a mile away. They walked to it with their bats slung over their shoulders, gloves hooked into the bat grip. They chatted about the post season games and whether they thought they could convince Kal to let them watch a couple of spring training games from above.

When they finally ordered their burgers and shakes, Jon seemed a lot more relaxed. They grabbed their food and found a table outside of the burger joint to eat.

"So Maya, huh?" Kon teased. "How is that going?"

"Pretty well. She's great. Also, she loves noodles as much as I do soooo..."

"No compromises on grub. That's always nice. Bart and I always argue about what to have for dinner."

Jon looked thoughtful for a long moment and then eyed Kon carefully.

"You said you're waiting for the right person?" Jon asked, tentatively.

"Yeah..." Kon said slowly.

"I get being careful about who you date and all, but..."

"But?" Kon prompted, taking a sip of his chocolate milkshake.

"If you wait too long, sometimes you'll miss out. On a good thing..."

That...

That comment made Kon seize up for a minute.

He thought about Tim.

He thought about Tim and another man.

He thought about Tim in the arms of another man.

Hugging him.

Kissing him.

Drinking coffee with him.

Teasing him...

"Do you... You think?"

"Well yeah. The good ones get snapped up pretty quick," Jon said. "Sometimes you gotta move fast.”

Kon thought about that for a long minute. He thought about Tim and how smart he was, how handsome, how funny and how driven...

"How do you... How did you... How did you ask Maya? What did you say?"

Jon shrugged as he took a big bite of his burger.

"Nothing really," Jon said around a mouthful of food. "We kissed and stuff and then it was just... It just happened. It made sense. It was just... natural."

Kon thought about that for a long minute, picking at his french fries and taking a deep breath.

"Wait..." Jon said, sitting up straighter and looking at Kon keenly. "Is there someone? Someone you like."

"I like a lot of people," Kon said, his voice cracking.

He took a long sip of his milkshake, not meeting Jon's eyes as the other boy watched him closely from under the bill of his baseball cap.

"But there's someone you like a lot?" Jon prompted.

"I mean, there's someone that I... He's very nice..."

Jon crowed happily and leaned forward over the table, grinning at Kon.

"Who? Is it Bart?"

"No no!" Kon said, shaking his head.

"Who is it?"

"A guy... I met. He's nice."

"Oh wait. Is this the reporter?" Jon asked, eagerly.

"I mean... Yes. His name is Tim and he's... nice..."

"Tell me about him!"

"Wait, you don't think it would be a bad idea?"

"I mean... I'm sure my dad has told you it is but... I mean this is the first person you liked in... I mean ever. You have to ask him out. You have to, man..."

"You think so?"

"Oh, for sure!"

Kon hummed thoughtfully and ate another french fry.

"Are you gonna go out with him?"

"I mean... I don't know..."

"You should ask."

"What do you know? You're a kid."

"I mean, I'm a kid who had more dating experience than you..."

Kon threw a french fry at him.

"You should ask!"

"What if... What if he says no, though?"

"I mean, that's the risk that comes with love, right?"

Kon smiled at Jon who grinned back.

Jon...

Jon looked actually happy for him. Actually excited.

The idea that Jon was rooting for him, the knowledge that Jon would be there for him if it all went bad, that there would be someone who hoped for this as much as Kon and would grieve for it if it didn't happen.

That made it easier... somehow.

They finished their burgers and got their cover story straight. If Lois asked, they ate a healthy Greek Place about a block away.

They walked back to Jon's apartment together, joking and laughing together. The temperature had dropped slightly and Jon had his jacket zipped and his hat pulled low over his face. The cold didn't bother Kon at all, he felt warm from the inside out.

When Kon said goodbye to Jon that day, he felt better than he had in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a week, huh? 
> 
> I cannot wait for it to be over...
> 
> Hope you are all hanging in there!
> 
> On the plus side, I'm almost done with a Curryverse story and started my next long Tim/Kon fic for National Novel Writing Month.


	8. Chapter 8 - Coffee, Tall Buildings & TTK

"Where did you say this was taken again?"

Tim was sitting in a coffee shop in Metropolis across a table from a lab technician around his own age named Rolsten. His light brown hair was thinning around his forehead and he could use a haircut and a beard trim. The sweater he was wearing was a touch too small for him and the cuffs were a little too high up his wrists.

Rolsten's brows were furrowed as he peered down at the picture, his mouth pressed into a thin line. He eyed the image thoughtfully, squinting down at the image of the lake.

Tim took a long sip of coffee as he considered how much to tell Rolsten. He had just met the man that afternoon so it was hard to judge how much detail he should go into.

A few days back, Tim had spent almost an entire workday looking for potential leads that would give him intel on LexCorp’s lab operations. Using an employment networking site, Tim tracked down former LexCorp lab workers who had left long enough ago that they might no longer be bound by any potential NDAs. Tim dug up a bunch of names of people that worked in "R&D" and then cross-referenced them with employment locations at labs in the vicinity of the lake with the unusual algae bloom. Then he messaged the people he had found, asking if they would be willing to sit for an interview.

Then he hoped for the best.

Tim had waited a couple of days, he had almost given up hope when Rolsten responded.

He said he had a recreational interest and journalism, was an avid news reader and podcast listener, and would be happy to help if he could. Tim had offered to buy him a cup of coffee and well...

Here they were at a coffee shop in Metropolis drinking mediocre coffee and peering over pictures.

"A lake about fifteen miles from the lab where you worked."

"So, too far to be from any runoff..." Rolsten mused.

"You sure?"

"I'll be honest... no, I'm not sure... Aquifers are large and mysterious creatures."

"Can you tell me a little more about what you mean by that?"

Rolsten sighed and glanced away from Tim and the picture. He put the image back down on the table between them and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm going to be honest, and I'm sorry to say this, but I'm not sure how much I can tell you here..."

Tim let out an interrogative hum, encouraging the man to continue.

"The way... The way work was distributed at... at LexCorp... it was..."

"Unusual?"

Rolsten puffed out a deep breath and shook his head, reaching out to take a long pull off his coffee.

"Listen everywhere else I've worked, I've worked the whole project, you know? You meet with stakeholders, form a hypothesis, do some tests, do a lot of analysis – just so much analysis—and then replicate research. Rinse, repeat. Then your name is on a patent you can be proud of. A patent you believe in. You build something new and you're proud of it."

"But not so at LexCorp?" Tim asked trying to keep his voice and expression casual as his heart pounded. His instincts were telling him he was maybe onto something here with Rolsten. Maybe something that could lead to a break in the story.

"No," Rolsten said, shaking his head. "Not so at LexCorp."

"Can you tell me what it was like?"

"It was like... It was like we each got a piece... Five pages of a schematic. We developed part of a whole. We manipulated one gene, we changed one DNA sequence, we built one new element to a CRISPR and then..."

Rolsten trailed off with a shrug and shook his head.

"Then?" Tim pressed, trying to keep his tone light and easy.

"Then we never see it again. No analysis, no replication, no failures or retrials. Honestly, my time at LexCorp was the only period of my life since before grad school where I didn't have my name on a new patent every few months. We were all so isolated from each other we could never really figure out what the end product was or what it did and..."

Rolsten puffed out a sigh and shook his head.

"And…?" Tim asked, keeping his voice low and sympathetic.

"I kept seeing press releases about new weapons Luthor was selling, bioweapons, bombs and I just couldn't bear...” Rolsten trailed off and shook his head. He took a sip of coffee, clearly trying to compose himself before he went on. “Look, LexCorp pays well and that's about it. I took almost a 33% pay cut when I left but when I went somewhere else, I knew what I was working on wasn't hurting anyone. It wasn't killing anyone. And... And I needed that..."

"I can understand that..."

Rolsten gave him a crooked wry smile. It would have been cute if his beard was a little less bushy.

"Yeah, well. My girlfriend couldn't. She dumped me after I took the pay cut and..." Rolsten trailed off and gestured expansively with his hands.

"If all she was worried about was the money, you dodged a bullet," Tim offered.

"Easy for you to say. You're a handsome adventurous reporter. I mostly do math all day."

"Don't be so sure," Tim said, huffing out a laugh. "So, when you were at LexCorp you mostly worked on biohacking?"

"Gene therapy," Rolsten corrected. "But essentially, yes."

"Did you work with anything that resembled the algae?"

"Algae? No..." Rolsten said and then hesitated before going on. "I'll be honest, I can't really think of a reason, outside of developing some sort of advanced biofuel, you'd want to mess with algae."

"Biofuel?"

"Yeah, some organizations think it would be a faster and cleaner renewable resource than ethanol, corn-based fuel."

"Is it?"

"I mean, it could be if we had an area large enough to farm it but no one owns that much water, you know? Plus, that stuff, like, suffocates all the fish"

"But if you made it burn more efficiently or something, you’d need less of it?"

"Ummm, maybe? Honestly, I'm not an expert."

"But what would your non-expert, but absolutely more educated than mine, guess be?"

"My guess is that the algae is a byproduct of a larger gene manipulation or nitrogen cycle. And my guess is that you'll find a few more lakes just like that one with usual algae blooms or aquatic life."

“Really?" Tim asked interestedly.

"Stuff moves fast in water," Rolsten said. "Faster than you would expect."

"Because of ducks," Tim said firmly, feeling at least confident in that answer.

"What? Ducks? Oh, I mean I guess so...? I don't know much about ducks."

"A duck expert told me they move stuff around."

"Do you know a lot of duck experts?"

"I know precisely one."

Rolsten breathed out a laugh and smiled at Tim.

"He's right about one thing, I bet if you expanded your search area, you may find a few more of those algae blooms."

"Yeah, I'm thinking that might be my weekend plan... Do some hiking... maybe a little climbing..."

"Some recreational trespassing..." Rolsten suggested in a teasingly casual tone of voice.

"Perish the thought," Tim said with a grin. “I’m a respectable reporter with a major newspaper.”

Rolsten suggested some nearby areas Tim could check out and agreed to stay in touch.

"I'll hit you up in the chat program if I think of something else," Rolsten promised as they got to their feet and pulled on their clothes.

"Thanks, I appreciate the help. Anything else you could think of would be great."

"Are you going to... Are you going to quote me? On any of this?"

Tim shrugged as he and Rolsten made their way to the door of the shop. They pushed through the door and out into the chilly Metropolis afternoon.

"This is early days in terms of reporting. I probably won't know until this story is a little more solidified," Tim said. "But I won't quote you if you don't want me to. I'm happy to just consider this a helping hand. You know, on background"

"Yeah, keep me posted on your progress. I just..." Rolsten said and then broke off, pausing and coming to a stop.

Tim was a couple of steps ahead of him before he realized Rolsten had stopped. He stopped too and turned to face Rolsten who was looking grim and serious, staring down at the cement sidewalk with a hard expression on his face.

"Rolsten? What is it?"

"I can't..." Rolsten started thickly and then broke off with a shake of his head. "I can't decide if I want to know... I can't decide if I want to know what I helped create..."

"From my experience, it's always better to know than to wonder."

Rolsten swallowed hard again and gave Tim a wavering smile.

"Yeah, I hear that."

Rolsten headed back off to work at the job that now paid him 33% less than his gig at LexCorp.

Tim's train back to Gotham didn't depart for at least another couple of hours and he...

He wanted to think a little bit.

The idea of being cooped up in the crowded dirty train station was not an appealing one. Say what you will about Metropolis, Gotham had much better train stations.

Tim took off down the sidewalk at a quick pace. The good thing about Metropolis was that it had an abundance of parks and green spaces. It was early fall and the trees and grass weren't exactly green but...

The breeze was brisk, and the air felt fresh and Tim decided to spend some time walking around the park as he thought about his next steps.

He got to the park in no time, following the winding paths through trees and shrubbery. It was chilly out and most people in the city were at work at this hour. The path he took wasn't crowded and because this was Metropolis and not Gotham City, there were no man-eating plants or super-villains hiding behind every corner.

Tim was organizing his thoughts as he walked when he heard a soft crunch in the shrubbery behind him. He turned just as he heard a soft voice calling his name.

"Tim?"

Tim narrowed his eyes and peered into the bushes to find Rush. He was wearing his uniform, his long cape fluttering in the breeze as he watched Tim with intent blue eyes.

Tim gave him a friendly smile and walked over to him.

"I guess you learned your sense of subtlety from Superman," Tim said to him with a grin. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Not here," Rush said, looking around them for signs that there were any more people around. When he didn't see anyone, he grabbed Tim's hips. "I won't drop you," he promised, then kicked up into the air.

Tim felt the ground fall away from his feet as something invisible and a little ephemeral wrapped all around him. Tim let out an undignified yelp before instinctively wrapping his arms around Rush's neck.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," Tim stammered, feeling the breath come fast in his lungs.

The air got colder as they moved quickly through the sky. Tim could feel the biting chill cut through his coat. Tim looked down, watching the city get smaller beneath his feet as they went higher and higher into the air.

Rush pushed forward and changed direction, making his way toward a series of large skyscrapers. He flew them up higher and higher, above the tops of the highest skyscraper and cut off towards the Daily Plant's building. He finally came to a stop at the top of the globe that rested atop the skyscraper.

Setting Tim back down on his feet, Rush made to let go of him.

"No! No! Don't let me go!"

"Are you scared of heights?" Rush asked. "I'm sorry, I should have—"

"No! No! I’m not scared of heights, but this is... This is just a lot. I think..." Tim said, looking down over the side of the globe to the 50 story drop below them. He couldn’t help but squeeze his eyes shut and gasp Rush’s shoulders even tighter.

"I'm sorry I—"

"No, no! It's ok," Tim said, huffing out a short laugh and smiling up at Rush. "This is amazing. I never thought... This is just... You do this every day?"

"I mean... yes..." Rush said, looking hesitant and uncertain.

"I would do it every minute," Tim said breathlessly.

Rush looked a little dazed and still a touch unsure. Tim knew that loosening his grip on the man's neck would reassure him, but Tim couldn't bring himself to do it. Rush was big and stable and secure and warm and Tim was...

Tim was none of those things, just then.

"I'm just gonna... I'm gonna hang on to you while we talk, is that ok?" Tim asked breathlessly, softening the words with a smile.

"I... yes. That's... That's ok," Rush answered and gave Tim a small smile in return, his face darkening slightly with a flush as he spoke.

"Good," Tim said. "Now how did you find me?"

^*^*^*^*^*^

Kon felt his heart racing, beating a little too fast in his chest. Tim's hands were cold against the back of his neck but his body was warm where it pressed firmly against Kon's. He could feel Tim's heartbeat loud in his ears and he could hear how Tim's breathing was quick. He smelled the biting tang of fear pricking off Tim's skin but he could also see the sheer exhilaration in Tim's eyes as he looked up at Kon.

His beautiful, sharp, brilliant blue eyes.

"I—" Kon stammered before he swallowed hard around a thickness in his throat. "I could hear your voice. From where I was. I... I heard you."

"Super-hearing has its perks, I guess," Tim said breathlessly as he grinned up at Kon.

"It... It can..."

"Did you hear what we were talking about?" Tim asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"I— I didn't. I didn't want to be rude..."

Tim laughed then, and it was sharp and lyrical in a way Kon could almost taste.

"Good to know," Tim said, still smiling up at Kon.

“He seemed… He seemed upset. When he left…” Kon said. “The man you met, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Tim said with a sigh. “Long story short, while I didn’t connect that lake you took a swim in last week to any LexCorp properties, I did find some tracts of land nearby that were owned by a holding company run by some lawyers that have worked closely with Luthor in the past.”

“So, it’s not a huge leap to think that Luthor could be connected to all of this…?”

“Not a huge leap, no,” Tim agreed. “The guy who does own the property the lake is on is actually an elderly man. He has it registered with the state as Forest Reserve property, which means he gets a more favorable tax rate in return for not developing the land for the next ten years.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means no one ever goes there because he’s too old to get out to the property and no one ever lived there.”

Kon nodded thoughtfully.

“But you still think the algae is related to LexCorp?”

"The guy I met with today essentially said he thinks looking at the algae could lead us to some interesting genetic engineering projects at LexCorp. He said he worked on a few projects there that—"

Kon suddenly felt himself go cold and he stiffened, tightening his arms around Tim.

"He worked at LexCorp? In the labs?" Kon asked, cutting Tim off.

Tim hesitated, looking up at Kon with uncertainty suddenly rich in his eyes.

"Yes... He said he only ever worked on pieces of projects and that he quit because of ethical concerns."

"Ethical... concerns..."

"He seemed. He seems like a good guy, Rush. I think we can trust him."

"What's his name?"

"Rolsten."

Kon felt some measure of relief wash over him.

"I don't know him."

"Do you know a lot of people that worked at LexCorp?" Tim asked him, his voice cautious but warm.

"I... I know some..." Kon admitted.

"Did you... How did you meet them, Rush?"

Kon hesitated, searching Tim's eyes for any sign of fear or repudiation...

He only saw curiosity and concern in the brilliant blue depths.

"My name isn't Rush," Kon heard himself blurting out and then felt his face flush deeply red when he realized what he said.

Tim raised a curious eyebrow at him and nodded slowly.

"So... what should I call you?"

"Rrosh," Kon said, letting himself say his real name, the name he gave himself, with the thick Kryptonian accent and intonation it was meant to have.

"Rrosh?" Tim repeated, trying to say the word but not quite getting the accent right. His voice was uncertain as he said it but it was clear he was trying hard.

"Close," Kon said and couldn't help but smile down at Tim. "Rrosh. It's actually a Kryptonian word." He pushed Tim back slightly then to gesture at the symbol on his chest. Tim let go of his neck long enough to run cool, thin fingers over the Kryptonian glyphs on his chest. "It means to proceed. To move forward."

"Rrosh," Tim repeated again, still fingering the glyphs.

"Almost got it that time," Kon said with a soft smile. Tim smiled back at him.

"I'll get it," he promised.

"I'm sure you will," Kon said. "Most people think it's an English word. Rush. But..."

"But it's Kryptonian. For moving forward."

"Exactly."

"I like it. But it does beg the question: What are you moving towards, exactly?" Tim asked with a smile.

Kon felt his heart stutter in his chest a little.

What was he moving towards?

"I... I never thought about it..." Kon admitted, his throat feeling thick as he spoke.

To Kon, it had always been what he was leaving behind, what he was moving past. He never thought about what he was moving towards...

Tim nodded as if he understood exactly what Kon meant.

"It's hard, sometimes..." Tim said slowly. "To know what you want. I can relate."

Kon let out a deep breath that felt almost like he was exhaling all the fear and uncertainty and confusion out of his body. No one had ever really said anything like that to him before and it was a huge relief to find someone who seemed to finally understand.

"It's impossibly hard, sometimes. Sometimes you only know what you don't want, who you don't want to be... Figuring out the other stuff..."

"That takes a lot more effort," Tim said, understanding clear in his face.

"Yeah. A lot more..."

Kon felt like he could get lost in the expression on Tim's face. It was deep with sympathy, understanding, a knowledge that Kon didn't think he had ever found in anyone else.

The lines at the corners of Tim's eyes deepened as he looked up at Kon, His expressive mouth was pressed into a thin, pensive line. His bright blue eyes shone with thoughtful sympathy.

Kon felt his arms, his TTK tightening around Tim almost without his conscious thought.

"Oh," Tim said, his expression melting into surprise. "What—?"

"Sorry, TTK... It acts on its own sometimes," Kon explained wryly.

"TTK?"

"Tactile telekinesis."

"Telekinesis?" Tim exclaimed. "I didn't know you and Superman had telekinesis."

"Just me. Not Superman..."

"Oh wow. That's amazing. What does it— How does it work?" Tim pressed.

"Ummm, I can use it to pick things up. Hold things. I just need... to think about it..."

"Or not think about it as the case may be..." Tim teased.

"Yeah, I… It's instinctive... sometimes."

"A reflex, almost," Tim said thoughtfully.

"Almost," Kon agreed.

The expression on Tim's face, the beat of his heart as he asked questions and learned new things. It was almost... addictive.

"What is it called in Kryptonian?" Tim asked, curiously.

"What is it called?"

"The telekinesis."

"Oh, um... something like irstun throniv.”

"Irstun throniv…” Tim repeated back slowly, face serious as he concentrated hard on the syllables. He still did not get the pronunciation quite right.

“Close,” Kon said, and he couldn’t help but smile down at Tim who grinned back up at him.

"I'll get there," Tim promised with a smile.

"I don't doubt it," Kon agreed. "You learn quickly."

At that Tim puffed out a sigh, his bangs rippling as he did. He rolled his eyes a little and shook his head wryly.

"I wish I learned a little faster. Corruption. Quid Pro Quo. The mean streets of Gotham. That's all stuff I get. Glowing algae, migrating ducks, nitrogen cycles and mutant animals a little out of my wheelhouse."

"You seem to be doing ok following leads," Kon ventured.

"I mean, I'm finding them. It's wrapping my head around them that's the issue. I feel like every time I speak with a new expert there are new possibilities and new ideas to run down..."

"Well... Power Girl and I have been working a few angles of our own, if that helps."

"Yeah?" Tim asked, excitedly. "What did you find."

Kon hummed thoughtfully before responding.

"It's more about what we ruled out."

"Also helpful."

"Well, I was worried the creature who attacked me could have been alien in origin."

"Ooooooh, like a spaceship crashed and suddenly there was radiation in the algae and mean alien creatures on the loose."

"That was my thought. It's happened before and—"

"Wait, when has it happened before?"

"It happens roughly once a month in Metropolis," Kon joked weakly.

Tim grinned up at him, eyes sparkling with humor.

"I must be so distracted by Gotham City's inmate breakouts that I never notice."

"I mean, the inmate breakouts and the alligators on the F train."

"Exactly," Tim laughed. "So it's not an alien?"

"And the algae has some signs of genetic modifications according to Power Girl."

"Interesting. Can she tell if they meant to modify the algae or if it was like a byproduct from a larger initiative?"

"Unclear at this point but all the modifications seem to do is replace cells with Kryptonite elements. It doesn't enhance the algae at all."

"So it's unlikely that someone is trying to make super rad biofuel to save us all from the scourge of Global Warming."

"Maybe not. The creature I saw was most likely the prime target of the genetic modifications," Kon said and resisted the urge to shudder.

He remembered what it was like to be the prime target of Luthor's genetic games. It was always... Painful.

"It's a shame you didn't get a hair sample or something from the creature..." Tim mused.

Tim's arms were still around Kon's neck, while he was holding on firmly, he wasn't grasping Kon as tightly as he had been. As Tim thought, he began tapping his index finger against the back of Kon's neck in a steady even patter. It was clearly a nervous habit but Kon had to fight back the urge to shiver at the feel of Tim's finger rubbing against the back of his neck.

"I uh... I didn't get one. That I know of. I mean, I didn't try to get one. It's possible there's still one on my clothes."

"Ohhhh, you didn't destroy them?" Tim asked, interestedly.

"I think Superman kept them, but I certainly still have Krypto's collar and cape we can check," Kon mused.

Tim gave him a fond smile and huffed out a small laugh.

"Have I mentioned how cute it is that you have a cape for your dog?"

"Hey, he's Super too."

"He absolutely is," Tim agreed with a grin. "A Super Good Boy."

Kon felt his face go warm and he smiled shyly back at Tim before awkwardly clearing his throat.

"I'll check for samples tonight," Kon promised. "If I don't find any, I can check back in the brush by the site where I ran into him. Maybe there's still some hung up in the branches..."

"Ohhh, no I would hold off on that," Tim said, his expression turning serious. "I think we should avoid that property for the time being."

"Why?"

"I don't want to tip Luthor off that we're looking into him."

Kon felt his heart sink into his stomach at that.

"We don't... We don't even know for sure that Luthor is involved..."

"I mean, while he doesn't own the property the lake is on, his lawyer holds all the surrounding property. I would worry that if he sees someone snooping around out there he might start doing a better job of covering his tracks."

"Like keeping the creatures confined..." Kon mused grimly.

"Yeah or threatening to enforce NDAs and making sure old employees don't start talking with curious and intrepid reporters. I've seen it happen before. I need people to be willing to talk to me and they won't be nearly as forthcoming with Luthor's army of high priced lawyers breathing down their necks. I'll be getting a lot fewer calls from guys who are just curious about what I'm working on and a lot more calls from their pissed off lawyers. Or worse, their terrified cousin who is in law school..."

"Ok, I understand. I won't go back."

Tim looked up at him and gave him another crooked, worried smile.

"I mean it's not just that. The creature hurt you before, even with Krypto. I’d rather you not go anywhere you know could be dangerous for you. I get that you're a big strong superhero with Irstun throniv—"

Kon smiled and interrupted him.

"You can just say Tactile Telekinesis. Or TTK..."

Tim smiled back and shook his head.

"Ok, I get that you're a big strong superhero with TTK and all, but it's still uniquely dangerous to you. Let's do a little more footwork on this and figure out how we can keep you safe before rushing in where superheroes fear to tread, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kon agreed. "Ok."

"In the meantime, remind Peej that she has my number and can feel free to use it liberally. I will thank her with coffee, cocktails, chocolates, whatever it takes to grease her particular wheels..."

Kon huffed out a laugh and nodded.

"I'll keep you posted on what she finds. I'll let you know if we do manage to get a hair sample off of Krypto's cape."

"In the meantime," Tim said. "I'm going to keep bribing former LexCorp employees and subject matter experts with coffee and free lunches until one of them tells me something interesting."

"What have your experts told you so far?"

"Hmmmm, so far my experts have told me about ducks, biofuel and tax abatement programs."

"Ducks?"

"Yeah," Tim said, releasing Kon's neck to give an airy wave of one hand. "A friend of mine knows a duck expert, he was actually half trying to set us up. Anyway, he was the one who put me on to the whole algae thing to begin with—"

"Your friend tried to set you up with a duck expert?” Kon asked.

"Yeah he does stuff like that."

"Do you like ducks?"

"I don't dislike them..."

"Do you like the duck expert?"

Tim looked up at him with a sly expression on his face and Kon felt himself blushing again.

"I prefer tall, dark, handsome dog lovers, actually..."

Kon huffed out an embarrassed laugh.

"You're just saying that because I'm holding you on the top of a fifty story skyscraper."

"I mean yeah," Tim said, his eyes suddenly deep and serious. "But not because I'm afraid you'll drop me."

"Then why?" Kon asked and he knew his voice was pitched too low. Almost a whisper as he asked.

"Because you brought me here in the first place," Tim whispered back. "Because you let me fly."

Kon felt himself swallowing hard. Tim was so close, his warm body pressed against Kon's, his eyes huge and blue and perfect. His soft, expressive mouth was only inches from Kon's and as he watched, Tim sunk his teeth into his lower lip as he looked up at Kon.

"I—" Kon started not even remotely sure what he was going to say next but then his phone buzzed, knocking them both out of their reverie.

Fumbling his phone out he saw Kal's name on the readout. He stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Super— Superman..." Kon explained.

Tim nodded slowly, his expression serious.

"Maybe we should both get back to work," Tim suggested softly.

"I— Maybe..." Kon conceded.

He flew Tim back down to the park, where he had picked him up. Tim let his hand trail across Kon's body as he pulled his arms back from around Kon's neck. As he did he let his fingers linger over the Kryptonian letters emblazoned on Kon's uniform shirt.

"Rrosh," Tim repeated again.

Kon smiled at him, still feeling a little anxious and off-balance.

"Almost got it."

"I'll practice," Tim promised.

"Good. There'll be a quiz next time," Kon teased.

Tim grinned at him.

"No problem. I've always tested well."

Kon smiled back and kicked off into the air, his heart still pounding and his skin still feeling warm from where Tim's fingers had trailed across his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such flirts ~~


	9. Chapter 9 - Beach Day & Trivia Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim keeps reporting, Kon goes to the beach, and Trivia Night is as terrible as ever.

"So when did you move here from Metropolis?" Tim asked, eyeing the woman across the table from him.

She chewed a bite of her falafel sandwich, nodding as she considered his question and swallowed before answering.

"About five years ago. I'm a Star City native, actually. When I finished up college I moved to The Big City to find a job. I started at Cadmus and then LexCorp poached me within about six months. After I quit... Well, Gotham seemed the natural place to go."

The woman's name was Ariel. She was in her mid-thirties but didn't look it. She was petite, with a short dirty blonde pixie cut and big expressive blue eyes. She wore a pair of dark grey dress slacks, a gem purple shirt with some chunky jewelry, and ankle-high boots.

She was actually a friend of a friend of Hudson's. She and Callie had met at a board game party a few years back. When Tim told Callie and Hudson he was working on a story related to genetic modification, Callie suggested he reach out to Ariel on background.

Turned out, she had also worked for LexCorp. Tim had thought, initially, that it was a lucky coincidence, until he started wondering if maybe LexCorp was hiring up all the recent grads on the East Coast with a concentration in genetic modifications and a high enough GPA...

"You work for Kord Industries, now?"

Ariel nodded and popped a tomato in her mouth. The two of them were meeting at a Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Gotham City. The food was good and the place was enough off the beaten path that Tim didn't have to worry about anyone spotting them here talking.

"I do! It's nice. Such a different environment. Much more laid back, and Ted? Well, Ted's just in a class of his own, you know?"

"So I've heard," Tim said. "Did you like working at Cadmus?"

"Yeah, I mean I learned a lot. I work in science and computer programming so they gave me a lot of leeway to do both and play with my own initiatives, you know?"

"Absolutely. And that's how you started working with CRISPR technology?"

"I mean yeah, a little. At first, it was all just a side project but when I came to them with a patent proposal, they were all for it. Made it my main gig and then—"

"LexCorp came knocking..."

She grinned at him and nodded around a mouthful of Pita.

"I mean they weren't the only ones..."

"They just paid the best..." Tim said encouragingly.

"Absolutely. And honestly, I had student loans from undergrad and graduate school. They promised to help pay those off too if I came to work for them, so..." she trailed off with a wave of her hand.

"No brainer there," Tim agreed. "I wish I had someone offering to pay off my student loans..."

"That's what I thought,” she said with a grimace. “But then..."

"Things weren't how you hoped they would be?"

She huffed out a sigh and shook her head.

"It was not at all what I hoped. I only worked on pieces of projects here and there, which was super frustrating. You do a better job when you have the whole context surrounding a project but they kept us isolated from each other I never knew what anyone else was working on..."

"That's what drove you to Kord Industries?" Tim pressed.

"I mean that and other weird things. In grad school, I was a part of a couple of professional organizations. I would go to conferences and present findings. It was fun, it was neat. A good way to network and bounce ideas off your peers..."

"But LexCorp didn't support those efforts?"

She shook her head firmly.

"They actively discouraged us from speaking with and sharing ideas with our peers. We weren't allowed to present any research without the board's approval of the topic and the data and they never approved anything."

"They never approved any of the ideas you shared with them?" Tim asked.

She shook her head as she took a sip of water. 

“Not just mine. Everyone I knew who submitted an abstract was told they could not present those data."

"Hmm," Tim hummed thoughtfully. "Why do you think that was?"

Ariel leaned back in her chair and shrugged as she reached for a cucumber on her plate.

"Intellectual property, maybe?" she offered.

"What made you quit, finally?"

"Honestly, I felt like I wasn't living up to my potential there. There were bigger, better things I could be doing."

"And you're doing them now at Kord Industries, now?" Tim asked.

"I really am. I'm back to working with plant DNA," she said. "That's more my wheelhouse. I'm chiefly interested in pharmacognosy."

"What type of DNA were you working on at LexCorp?"

"Mammal," she said casually. "Sometimes avian..."

"Duck?"

She shrugged as she chewed a bite of her falafel.

"I'm no bird expert, but maybe?"

"Any chance you remember the address of the lab you worked in?" Tim asked.

She eyed him consideringly before she pulled a planner out of her work bag. She dug deep into a pocket and pulled out a battered business card.

"Here's my old card. Address is on the back.”

"That's perfect. Thanks," Tim said, pocketing the card.

She took a swig from her Hydroflask and watched Tim from across the table.

"So what are you looking into anyway?"

"Just chasing down some leads," Tim said casually. "The story is still in very early stages."

She grinned at him crookedly and tilted her head to one side.

"Does that line actually work on anyone?"

"Most people, actually..."

"Sooooo?"

"So, I'd rather keep it under wraps for now, honestly. I'd rather avoid anything getting out while I'm still on the fact-finding stage."

"Will you tell me before you publish?" she asked.

"I will need to tell you because someone will probably need to fact check this conversation."

"Oh, how official..." she cooed with a smile.

They finished their food and got to their feet, shrugging back into their coats.

"Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me today," Tim said as he held the door open for her.

"For sure. Thanks for lunch. Tell Callie I'm looking forward to the next board game night. Any chance I'll see you there?"

"Not a chance. I already got roped into Trivia Night. I'm not falling for that trick again."

She laughed and gave him a wave goodbye as she took off down the street.

Tim watched her go for a moment before his phone buzzed with a call from another unknown number.

“This is Drake,” he answered, already knowing he wasn’t going to get a response.

The number of hang-up calls he answered each day was getting to be a little absurd. He knew that the phone scammers were getting more and more sophisticated by the day but this was getting a little out of hand.

There was no response on the other end of the line and this time Tim didn’t wait nearly as long to hang up. 

After ending the call, he checked his messages. 

One from Dana asking if he wanted to come over for dinner one day this week, one from Bernard asking if he wanted to grab a drink after work, another from Conrad (who he was still actively avoiding), and one from Rush.

Tim felt his heart rate pick up when he saw Rush's name on his text program readout.

*Hey, we found a hair sample on Krypto's cape. It's possible it's nothing, just another dog, but Peej is looking into it."

*That's amazing.* Tim texted back. *How long before she gets results?* 

*She said to check back in with her tomorrow.*

*Great! Keep me posted.*

*You find anything new?*

*More possible duck connections...*

*Need to consult your duck expert again?*

*Nah, I'm starting to think he's a quack.*

*Man, even Krypto rolled his eyes at that joke...*

*You laughed and you know it.* Tim typed back, smiling.

He glanced up and took in his surroundings, orientating himself for a second before taking back off in the direction of the nearest train station.

He texted with Rush as he walked, chatting about Krypto's sense of humor.

Tim swiped his farecard on the way down the stairs and saw the train just starting to pull into the station. Tim took off at run, jumping the last three stairs and just managing to make it on to the train before the doors started sliding shut. Tim let out a breath in relief but started when a loud bang hit the side of the train. He looked up to see a guy with his book bag stuffed in the train doors.

The train chimes started and an automated voice informed everyone on the train and the platform that they needed to stand back because the doors were closing. The voice reminded them all sweetly that the doors didn't reopen like elevator doors.

The chimes rang out again and the door slid open. The man with the bookbag pushed on to the car to the glares of the other people on the train.

He looked around furtively, before taking a seat near the back of the train. Tim eyed him with the same level of disdain as the rest of the people on the train.

That was when Tim realized he recognized the guy. He had been sitting two booths over from him and Ariel at the restaurant.

Tim lifted his phone, holding it up in front of his face but looking past it to the man.

He was an older white man, heavy-set, late middle-aged, and balding. He was wearing khakis and a neat button-down under a long coat. He was breathless, panting as he sat, clutching his book bag to his chest.

Tim didn't think he recognized the man. He wasn’t the same man who had been following him, the one with the connections to the Russian mob. But it was a little odd he was so close to Tim at the restaurant and then rushed to catch the exact same train.

Or maybe this case was making Tim paranoid.

Wouldn't be the first time.

^*^*^*^*^*^*

Kon's feet sunk thickly into the sand as he landed on the beach. Tugging his phone from his pocket, he checked the time and saw he was a few minutes early.

The deserted stretch of beach in Hawaii was a favorite spot for Kon, Bart, and Cassie. They started meeting there after long battles and even longer workdays. It was actually an area owned and controlled by the US Military but it was always empty of all human life. No one ever bothered them here.

Ghost Crabs scuttled across the sand and shorebirds waded through the waves, calling to each other with lyrical cries as they ate mole crabs and coquinas. The breeze coming off the water rustled through the trees just past the tide line.

Kon tugged off his boots and cape and walked barefoot through the sand. It was still warm from the rapidly setting sun and the smooth gains felt good against the skin of his feet.

Kon was just walking along the shoreline when a whoosh of wind around him kicked up the water. Bart was suddenly standing, barefoot and ankle-deep in the waves.

"Hey, no Cassie yet?" Bart asked breathlessly.

"Not yet. Maybe she got stuck at school?"

Cassie was teaching history as an adjunct at a junior college. She loved it, but her students often kept her well past her office hours.

Bart nodded and pursed his lips for a minute before tilting his head to one side.

"She works too much," he said.

"She does," Kon agreed.

The sun was setting into the ocean, the sky fading from a brilliant blue into shades of orange and pink. It reflected a myriad of colors onto the ocean. White, puffy clouds glided steadily and smoothly across the darkening sky.

Kon and Bart started walking down the beach, the scent of the ocean and the warm sand thick in the air around them.

Bart caught Kon up on his week and they were just starting to make plans for their next Movie Night when Cassie touched down on the sand next to them. She puffed out a sigh, looking harried, and rolled her eyes expressively at both of them.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly. "It's been a day."

"Tell us about it?" Kon asked.

The three of them walked up to the dry part of the beach and settled down, sitting on the sand as Cassie told them about her least favorite student. Kon sat between Bart and Cassie. Bart was sitting cross-legged, nervously picking up handfuls of sand and letting it pour out between his fingers. Cassie was sitting with her arms propped behind her, head tilted back to watch the sunset.

"And then he told me he needs an extension on his history paper because his boss made him work overtime all weekend and he couldn't work on it."

"What did you say?" Bart asked.

"I said yes because bosses are assholes, but now I'm going to be grading papers well after the semester is over," she said with a grimace.

"Sorry, Cassie..." Kon said.

"It's fine," Cassie said with a sigh and a shrug. "This is life. So tell me about you. What's going on with you? Bart said you've been flirting with a reporter? Haven't we talked about this?"

"We have not talked about this," Kon said. "And I'm not flirting with him."

"You're absolutely flirting with him," Bart said firmly.

Cassie eyed Kon suspiciously and Kon breathed out a sigh.

"I just... I'm working on a thing I need backup on. I— I need his help..."

"What's going on?" Cassie pressed.

"I told you about what happened at the lake the other day. Well, we've been looking into it and it seems like Luthor might be tied up in it..."

"Luthor?" Cassie asked, looking at Kon worried.

"Yeah," Kon said with a sigh.

Bart pursed his lips and didn't say anything, just shook his head in frustration.

"What's he doing?"

"We think he's been using genetic modification technology on... On other creatures... It was one of his experiments that threw me in the lake the other day. Karen and I did some tests on the fur and it was clearly just... mauled... by genetic modification technology..."

Cassie took in a sharp breath before leaning over to wrap an arm around Kon's shoulder. She gave him a half hug and a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"So you know for sure it's Luthor?" Bart asked.

"All signs point to it. Not only is the tech he used on those creatures a lot like what he used... what he used on me... Tim tied the properties back to some pals of Luthor's..."

"Tim?" Cassie asked.

"The reporter," Bart explained.

"The reporter..." Cassie repeated back slowly and thoughtfully.

"He's been... He's been great actually."

"Kon has a big boy crush on him," Bart explained to Cassie, ignoring Kon.

"How big is the big boy crush?" Cassie asked Bart, curiously.

"So big," Bart said, lifting his hands and spreading his arms out as far as he could to indicate how big Kon's crush was.

"I just want to point out that I do not have a big boy crush..." Kon said defensively.

Cassie looked at him curiously with a small half-smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"What kind of crush is it, then?"

"It's not a crush—"

Bart cut Kon off by making a skeptical raspberry noise.

Kon spluttered in exasperation and shook his head at both of them.

"So what's the plan then?" Cassie asked.

"Obviously he needs to, like, kiss him romantically in a rainstorm or something," Bart said, gesturing airily with one hand. “Preferably on the edge of a very dramatic cliff.”

"Do you... Would that work?" Kon found himself asking before he could catch himself.

Cassie gave him a knowing look and huffed out a laugh before shaking her head.

"I mean with the Luthor thing. What's next with that?"

"Oh... Well, I was going to try and go back to the lake and find the creature again—"

"Bad idea..." Bart intoned and Kon glared at him.

"I know that... Tim asked me to stay away from the area until he got a few more interviews with former LexCorp employees..."

"He's looking for a whistleblower?" Cassie asked, interestedly.

"Right now, I think he's just looking for information. Trying to build a picture of how LexCorp keeps things like potential human and animal rights violations under wraps..."

"How long does that take?"

Kon shrugged.

"I have no idea..."

"Well.. In the meantime..." Cassie mused, "I could help."

"Help how?" Kon asked.

"I could dangle Luthor from the top of a building," she suggested with a shrug. "I could kick his ass six ways from Sunday..."

"Maybe abandon him on a remote and distant planet where he couldn't find his way home..." Bart offered.

"Ohhh, I like that one," Cassie said, grinning over at Bart.

"As nice as that sounds," Kon said. "I think I'd like to see this through on my own..."

"Yeah?" Bart asked, watching Kon worriedly.

Kon puffed out a sigh and shook his head.

"I've spent so much of the last ten years terrified of Luthor and avoiding confrontations with him at all costs..."

"For extremely legitimate reasons," Cassie pointed out.

"Yeah but... But I've moved past that. I've moved past being afraid of him. I've moved past letting his viciousness define me. Now I want to... Now I want to move toward something. I want to focus on bringing him to justice, protecting other people..."

Bart nodded his head slowly and took a deep breath.

"That... that makes sense," Bart conceded.

"It does, but just because you feel like you need to face him doesn't mean you need to do it alone. Part of moving past what he did to you was learning you aren't isolated or alone anymore. You have us and we can help you," Cassie said.

"Absolutely," Bart agreed. "You don't need to face him alone. You have us."

"And you have your intrepid reporter," Cassie teased. "By the way, no one has told me whether or not he's cute."

They stalked Tim on Chirper for a while after that, trading pictures of him and teasing Kon.

After the sunset, they all took off in their own directions.

Bart went back to Star City, Cassie went back to San Francisco and Kon headed back to Metropolis for the night.

Krypto greeted him happily when he keyed open the door to his apartment. Kon kicked off his shoes and padded into the kitchen, feeding Krypto treats as he checked his phone.

He had a few texts from Karen and a couple from Tim.

Karen wanted him to call her when he got the chance.

Kon pulled up her number and the phone rang a couple of times before she answered.

"Hey," she said and sounded distracted.

"Hey, you said you found something else in the hair samples?"

"Yeah," Karen said with a sigh. "It looks like a combination of wolf, mountain lion, bear, and marten DNA all jumbled together."

"Marten?"

"Yeah, I had to look that one up too. They're essentially very grumpy weasels."

"Yikes."

"Yikes, for sure," Karen agreed.

"What are the chances there is more than one of these things running around?" Kon asked.

"Well... The thing didn't seem super healthy. I'd be surprised if many of these guys survived even if he did make more than one."

"It did seem scared... and in pain..."

"That's not surprising. The tests we did showed some... abnormalities..."

"Abnormalities?"

"I think... I think some of the modifications they tried didn't quite work and..."

"And what?" Kon asked, his throat suddenly feeling very tight.

"I think the thing is, at the very least, riddled with tumors..." Karen said quietly.

Kon... very much did not want to think about that.

"What's the old Kryptonian saying? 'If Rao had willed it otherwise'..."

"'It would be my suffering'..." Kon finished for her, feeling a little sick at the thought.

Karen puffed out a laugh and a short silence stretched between them on the line.

"All I'm saying is... If you have to go toe to toe with any of these things again, winning shouldn't be hard. The one you ran into got in a lucky shot. The rest... Probably won't have a lot of fight in them."

"Good to know..." Kon said slowly.

"Listen, keep me posted if you make any other moves, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kon agreed. "I might try to see Tim tomorrow. Let him know what happened."

"Has he found anything else?" Karen asked, curiously.

"Not much. He's interviewing former LexCorp scientists, seeing what he can find there."

"Let me know when he digs up something interesting," Karen said.

"I will," Kon promised.

Karen hung up and Kon sighed, deciding he needed a long hot shower.

Kon padded into the bedroom and pulled off his clothes. He made his way into the bathroom and flicked on the taps. As the water heated, Kon grabbed a towel for himself before stepping into the shower.

He let the water rinse the sand and sweat off his skin. The heat of it felt good on his skin, steam wafting up to hang heavy and thick in the air. Kon took a deep breath, letting the water soak his hair and run down the back of his tense neck.

Soaping up, Kon scrubbed off and shampooed his short hair.

If Kon was being honest with himself, he was still feeling afraid. Luthor had always been his own personal boogeyman and while he had escaped years ago, Luthor still loomed large in his life.

He had moved past what Luthor had done to him but that didn't mean he wasn't still afraid. It didn't mean he had forgotten what that pain and fear felt like.

But knowing that Cassie, Bart, and Karen had his back... That made Kon feel better.

And Tim...

Well, Cassie, Bart, and Karen might be able to beat Luthor in a fight but Kon had a feeling it was Tim who would help him put Luthor in jail for a long time.

Tim was...

He was so smart and so clever.

Kon wished he could think about things in the same ways Tim did. That he could put things together the way Tim did. That he had the same level of patience and quiet consideration.

Kon couldn't help but think back to when he flew Tim to the top of the Planet building. The way Tim felt pressed against him, his long fingered hands wrapped tightly around Kon's neck...

He had felt...

Kon fought down a shiver as he imagined those fingers, playing lightly against his skin. The press of Tim's hands, the warm puffs of his breath against Kon's neck.

Kon couldn't fight down the wave of arousal that overtook him. Goosebumps pricked out over his skin and Kon shook his head. Trying to steady his breathing, Kon felt himself flush down his neck and chest.

Cock hardening and skin tingling, Kon couldn't help but remember Tim's sly, knowing smile. He wondered if Tim looked at his lovers that way. He wondered if Tim's eyes were always that bright and brilliant or if they clouded, growing hazy with desire as his arousal grew. 

Kon couldn't help but reach down and wrap his hand around himself. He felt his erection thickening as he squeezed himself with a firm hand.

Swallowing hard, Kon let his mind drift, imagining what it would feel like to have Tim spread out under him. To take Tim into his mouth. Would his voice go low and husky as he begged Kon for more or would it have a sharp, high cadence as he got desperate?

Would he grab Kon's hair? Demand more?

Or would he be gentle? Would he ask, coax, suggest?

Kon moved his hand over himself, falling into a familiar steady rhythm.

Kon imagined how it would feel to run his hands over the warm skin of Tim's sides, his thighs, as he worked his mouth over Tim's erection.

Would Tim lose his words? Would he devolve into desperate cries and low groans.

Kon fought down a gasp as the image of Tim's bright eyes, blown with arousal, overwhelmed him.

Waves of pleasure washed over him as he came with a wordless cry, shivering as he stroked himself through it.

He let out a low groan as he came down from his arousal. The water in the shower was growing cold and Kon shivered,

Letting his breathing even out, Kon flicked off the taps and gently toweled off. He pulled on his sleep clothes and fell into bed, reaching for his phone as he did so.

Glancing at his notifications, he saw a message from Tim had come through.

Fighting down a blush, he pulled up his instant message program.

*Tragically tonight is Trivia Night so I'm required to drink mediocre beer, eat mediocre nachos and pretend I care about 80's movies. But tomorrow I have two more interviews. So hopefully there will be progress I can update you on then.*

This was followed by a series of pictures of what looked like very mediocre nachos.

*Good luck* Kon texted back.

*I don't need luck.* Tim texted back. *I have justice and Rrosh on my side.*

Kon drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face.

^*^*^*^*

The theme for Trivia Night at their favorite bar was Cars. Tim's team came in second to last place.

Not their best showing.

Bernard ordered one last round of drinks for the night to drown their sorrows. They grumbled about the questions as they waited for the beers to arrive.

"Who the hell picks Cars as a Trivia topic?" Ives asked bitterly. "It's Gotham City. No one drives here."

"Except taxis and car share guys," Hudson pointed.

“Also super villains,” Callie pointed out.

"Just some bad luck this week. Maybe next week the topic will be something like Geeky Board Games and the three of you can clean house," Bernard said reassuringly.

"Four of us," Callie corrected with a glare. "Tim used to play Wizards and Warlocks with us too."

Bernard turned to Tim in mock horror.

"Surely, she's lying," Bernard said.

"You knew this about me," Tim said, lifting an eyebrow at Bernard.

"Ohhh wow," Bernard sighed. "Maybe I did. I was just struck with amnesia immediately after you told me. You know, my mind protecting me from information too horrifying to remember."

"Yeah that seems like the most likely explanation," Tim agreed casually. "It couldn't be that you just forgot."

Bernard grinned at him and nudged Tim with his shoulder.

"Rocky asked about you by the way," Bernard said, pointedly changing the subject.

"Who is Rocky?" Callie asked sharply, eyeing Tim and Bernard curiously.

"Rocky is a very handsome bird expert that thinks Tim is keen," Bernard said.

"Are you sure he doesn't think you're keen and he's just playing along with this to have more of an excuse to talk to you?" Tim asked.

Bernard looked at Tim, expression serious for a moment.

"I don't— No, I think it's you he's interested in," Bernard insisted. "He and I have been friends for years. It something was going to happen with us, it would have already,"

"Hmmm, I'm not so sure about that," Tim said.

"Yeah, he's probably just waiting for you to make a move and it's just taking forever because it takes you six months to decide what new color of AllBirds you want. I can't imagine what vetting a dating prospect is like for you," Ives said casually, attention clearly focused on the beer list and not the expression on Bernard's face as he spoke.

If he had been watching Bernard's expression, he would have stopped speaking a hell of a lot sooner. A flush came up over Bernard's face and his serious expression shifted into a glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bernard shot back at Ives.

"Oh—" Ives sputtered, looking up at Bernard like he just got shocked from an ungrounded wire. "N-Nothing. Just— Just a joke. I didn't—"

"He didn't mean anything, Bernard," Tim cut in, trying to rescue Ives.

Bernard's expression softened but he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"He may have a point though," Tim said quietly. "Maybe Rocky is just waiting for you to make a move."

Bernard rolled his eyes and when the waitress came back with their beers he immediately took a long pull off of his.

"Why don't you ask him out?" Callie asked, reaching for her own beer.

"Why would I?" Bernard asked. "We have nothing in common."

"He likes to cook, you like to eat," Tim pointed out. "He likes to talk about birds, you like to tease him about talking about birds."

Bernard gave Tim a dirty look but Tim just grinned at him.

"Callie's right," Hudson cut in. "When's the last time you went on a date, anyway?"

Bernard's face flushed again and he turned his glare to Hudson.

"Not all of us are glued to the hip of our high school sweethearts," Bernard said acidly. "Besides, when's the last time Tim went out on a date. He's more in need of a boyfriend than I am and has far fewer prospects."

"That doesn't feel true...." Tim said, eyeing Bernard knowingly.

"The last time you were even on a first date was over a year ago," Bernard pointed out.

"Yeah, I remember because we both had terrible first dates that week and we went out to a club to drown our sorrows immediately after."

Bernard groaned and put a hand over his eyes.

"Oh right... That was the night we realized we're way too old for clubs..."

"Exactly."

"So neither of us has been on a date in over a year."

"Looks like."

"We're old and boring..."

"Yeah, maybe a little..."

Bernard groaned again and shook his head.

"Alright, point conceded. I'll ask Rocky out. But what about you?"

"I uh... I met someone recently..." Tim hedged. "I'm not sure what's going on but I think I need a little bit of time to figure it out."

"What does that mean?" Bernard asked interestedly. "When did you meet this guy?"

"About a week ago. He's—. He's nice but seems... Skittish."

"More skittish than you?" Bernard asked.

"Shockingly, yes."

"Wild," Callie said, taking a long sip of her beer. "Are you gonna ask him out."

"I'm,” Tim paused hesitantly before finishing. “I’m waiting. Feeling the situation out."

"Do you think he's gonna ask you out?" Hudson asked.

"I'm waiting and feeling the situation out," Tim repeated.

"Do you think he likes you back?" Ives asked.

"He's waiting and feeling the situation out," Bernard said for Tim this time, shooting Ives another glare. Then he turned back to Tim. "Is he cute?"

"Yeah, he's cute..."

"How cute. Scale of one to ten," Callie asked.

Both Tim and Bernard turned to glare at her.

"We do not rank people on scales of one to ten," Bernard said primly.

"We are not bros," Tim pointed out.

"Jeez, sorry. Point taken," Callie said, lifting her hands up in a defensive gesture.

"But he's nice?" Bernard pressed, turning back to Tim.

"Yeah, he seems really sweet. He has this adorable dog and he likes the outdoors."

"Ohhh, how wholesome," Bernard intoned. "When do we get to meet him?"

"I said he was skittish, right?"

"You think we're too much to handle?" Bernard asked, curiously.

"We're way too much to handle," Ives said.

"We are not. Tim's just worried we'll tell the guy how much he used to like Wizards and Warlocks and Wendy the Werewolf slayer."

"You're not wrong..." Tim conceded.

"Still," Bernard said firmly. "This is new and this is good."

"Yeah, I hope so. I just..."

"You're worried he doesn't like you, after all."

"I mean, he's been a little flirty but also very cautious, so it's hard to say."

Bernard nodded knowingly.

"Just do what you said," Bernard said comfortingly. "Feel him out. See where it goes..."

"And if it doesn't go anywhere, you still have us," Callie said reassuringly.

Bernard rolled his eyes at her.

They finished their beers and Callie, Hudson and Ives all shared a rideshare back to their apartment building. Tim and Bernard lingered over their beers, chatting about Rocky and work. When they did finally leave, it was getting late.

They shrugged into their coats and made their way to the door, slipping outside into the cool night. Bernard shivered and shook his head as they started off down the street.

"Long day," Bernard sighed.

"Long day," Tim agreed.

"I'm sorry you guys lost at trivia tonight," Bernard said.

"I don't actually care," Tim replied and Bernard huffed out a laugh.

"So this guy..." Bernard said and his voice had a tinge of worry to it. "You like him a lot."

"I mean, I barely know him, really. But..."

"For what you do know you like him a lot."

"Yeah," Tim said, breathing out a sigh. "It's just..."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know... It just feels complicated."

"Aren't all relationships?"

"This seems... more complicated than most."

"Because he's skittish?"

Tim wished it was just that.

He wished he could tell Bernard the truth. He wished he could tell Bernard that it was complicated because he didn't even know the guy's real name. That the guy was wrapped up in the story he was working on at the Gazette and he knew he shouldn't be interested in a potential source.

It was all just... 

Too much.

Tim just shook his head.

"A little. It's fine. I'm just going to—"

"Wait and feel the situation out," Bernard finished for him with a smile. "Yeah, I get it."

When they got to Bernard's building Bernard gave him a quick hug. When he pulled back his face was twisted into a thoughtful expression.

"Did you want to come up?" Bernard asked Tim softly, looking back over Tim's shoulder.

"What?"

"That guy, in the long coat, he's been following us since we left the bar. Did you want to come up until he leaves? I'm sure it's nothing but."

Tim looked back over his shoulder, trying to appear casual.

His heart stuttered in his chest when he caught sight of the man, loitering at a bus stop across the street from Bernard's building. He was the same man who had held up the train doors earlier that day when Tim was on his way back from his meeting.

Turning back to Bernard, Tim shook his head and forced a smile.

"It's nothing," Tim said and gave Bernard a wave goodbye. "I'll text you when I get home."

"If you're sure," Bernard said worriedly.

The man followed Tim all the way home. He kept his distance but the sidewalks were empty enough that Tim could still make him. Tim swiped his key fob to get into the front door of his apartment, making sure it shut behind him. He felt relieved to be inside.

Tim turned to look out the glass door only to see the man opening the door to a nondescript sedan parked in front of Tim's building. He slid into the passenger seat and said something to the man behind the wheel.

Tim felt his mouth go dry.

He wondered how long the men had been following him and what they had seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work is a little insane right now and I'm sooooooooooo behind on answering comments. I'll get to them this weekend, I promise. 
> 
> Tonight, I really just need sleep. 
> 
> Whoever invented Zoom has cursed us all.


	10. Chapter 10 - Bad Dreams & Bad Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon has a bad night and Tim decides he needs some help.

Kon's skin burned. Individual hot pricks of pain blended into each other until they bled into a searing scorch licking all down Kon's arms and legs. The air went out of his lungs and he didn't even have the breath left in him to scream with it.

The faces of the scientists blurred and wavered above him as they worked with their instruments. Their white coats were almost blinding and their hands worked fast, so fast, Kon could barely track them. The throbbing green glow of the Kryptonite in their tools made Kon’s eyes ache and his skin crawl.

He wanted to flinch, move away, but he was paralyzed. His arms and legs wouldn't obey his brain. He tried to shout again and again but there wasn't enough air in his lungs.

He strained and screamed but no sound came and he moved not a centimeter.

A white light flashed above him, a brilliant lamp of hot ultraviolet light giving him the energy to heal his wounds as the scientists inflicted them with Kryptonite forged instruments.

Just enough light to heal him but not enough to counter the drugs they had injected in him, keeping him immobile as they worked.

They knew he never went under for this. They knew he was awake and alert. They knew he could feel every incision, every cut, every jab of the needle.

They knew and they did it anyway.

Kon squinted in the light above him just as another head leaned over him. Luthor's face came into focus and he grinned down at Kon. His hands came into view holding a syringe filled with a brilliant green substance.

It looked like...

It looked almost like...

It was the algae...

The algae...

The algae that had choked him, burned him, almost killed him.

He watched, helpless as Luthor plunged the needle deep into his side, grinning madly as he depressed the plunger and the burning starting again only this time it was deep inside of Kon. Filling his chest, his lungs, his heart...

Kon choked on a scream, desperate, gasping, soundless and empty—

It was Krypto that woke him up, nipping lightly at Kon's arm and nuzzling him until Kon came fully awake.

Kon was panting hard, cold sweat soaked his shirt and he shivered. Swallowing hard, Kon flicked the lamp on his night table on and made himself look around.

He was in his room, in his apartment in Metropolis.

Kyrpto was here with him. He was in his bed. His nice, safe bed, miles away from Luthor, from the labs. He was years away from being a captive. He was a lifetime away from that helpless, paralyzed boy on the table.

Krypto whimpered at him and Kon reached out a hand to rub at Krypto's fur. Feeling the sleek warmth of it was a comfort.

"Good boy," Kon said but his voice was thick and raspy. 

He winced at the sound of it and swallowed hard. His throat hurt and Kon felt like he could still feel the fiery pain along his skin...

He pushed himself up and out of his bed, turning all the lights on in his house as he padded into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and poured himself some water, drinking the whole thing down. The cold water felt good on his throat, soothing. It was a reminder that he could still feel things other than pain.

Kon grabbed his phone from his room before he and Krypto settled on to the couch. Pulling up his instant messenger program, he called up his message thread with Bart. It was almost one in the morning, but Kon messaged him anyway.

*You up, bud?*

Kon hit send and waited.

Bart... didn't answer.

Kon waited almost three minutes before trying Cassie.

Then he tried Tim.

Only Tim responded.

*Hey, you're up late. Partying hard with Krypto?*

Kon snapped a quick picture of him and Krypto laying on the sofa together, clearly home.

*Absolutely. Partying hard.* Kon texted with the image attached.

*Ha, looks like my kind of party.* Tim texted back.

*You're out partying then?*

*Nope. Just got home. Trivia Night was a bust so we all stayed late to lick our wounds and have an extra beer.* Tim texted back.

*Trivia Night?*

*Yeah, some high school friends and I do a trivia game at a bar every week. We're usually not too bad but tonight... It was not great.*

Kon huffed out a laugh.

*I'm sorry you lost.* Kon texted back.

*Excuse me, we were second to last. We didn't technically lose.*

*If you say so.*

*It's mostly my friend Ives who says so. He's very particular about it.*

*What was the trivia about.*

*Cars. Excellent topic for a Gotham City bar frequented by broke Millennials.*

*Absolutely.*

*Alright. Bed for me. I have another interview with a former LC employee tomorrow. Hoping to get some more good intel. I'll keep you posted. Give Krypto a kiss for me and sleep well, you party animals.*

Kon huffed out a laugh and typed out a good night to Tim.

Kon leaned back on to the sofa, Krypto curled up against his side.

He thought about Tim's interview the next day. He thought about how slowly everything was moving. He thought about what it had been like to be bound to the table while scientists cut and injected him.

He thought about the creature that had attacked him. About how desperate and hungry and afraid it looked.

He remembered how that felt...

It had been years since Kon had left those LexCorp facilities. The day he had fled he had never looked back. He never wanted to.

But he knew where they were. Their locations were burned into his mind. Every time he flew within fifty miles of one, Kon felt the hackles on the back of his neck rise with worry and fear.

Kon never really thought about what he left behind the day he ran. Who... he may have left behind. Or what. 

He never thought about what else Luthor could have been working on at the same time or why. He never thought about what was just beyond the walls that kept him closed in.

If he was being honest with himself, Kon tried very hard never to think about that time at all. Never to wonder about Luthor's motivations or next steps.

Maybe it was time to do that now. Maybe it was time to confront it all. His worries, his fears, his dread.

He had been lucky enough to escape, maybe it was now his duty to help all those that couldn't...

Maybe this is what he was supposed to move toward.

Kon puffed out a sigh and shook his head.

Krypto let out a low whine and Kon pulled the throw blanket down off the side of the sofa and draped it over both of them.

"Let's go to sleep, Krypto," Kon said, running a hand over the thick white fur. "Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Kon and Krypto drifted back off to sleep, all the lights still on in his apartment.

^*^*^*^*^*^

Tim was juggling his travel mug, keys, and work bag as he made his way to the front doors of his building the next morning. He smiled tiredly at the doorman, Carl, who grinned back at him.

"Long night, Tim?" Carl asked affably.

"Always," Tim said, with a dramatic eye roll that would have done Bernard proud.

Carl laughed as he pushed open the front door, holding it for Tim. Tim smiled back, lifting his coffee mug in salute. He was just thanking Carl when he caught sight of the sedan still parked in front of his building.

It was the same vehicle he saw yesterday, the one the middle-aged man who had been following Tim to the train had gotten into. It was a light grey American sedan. Maybe ten years old. No dents, no stickers, no indication it was a rideshare car...

"Oh those guys," Carl said grimly, coming to stand beside Tim in the doorway. "They've been parking there for the past few days."

"Days?" Tim asked hollowly, turning to look at Carl. His stomach dropped out and worry washed through him as he eyed the car.

"Yeah. I've asked them to move a couple of times so people could unload their cars and stuff, but they keep coming back. It's always the same two guys... I'm wondering if they do a taxi thing on the side and just aren't getting much business... You know, Uber or something…"

"Maybe... any chance you got their plates?"

Carl looked at him and lifted an eyebrow.

"Should I have?"

"I'm not sure... They don't live here, right? For sure."

"They don't live here. And I haven't seen them going into any of the buildings nearby, otherwise I'd have called the other building to tell them to park there."

Tim hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the car worriedly.

"Want me to tell them they can't park there anymore?" Carl asked.

"Can you do that?"

"I can ask. That doesn't mean they have to listen."

"No... Don’t talk to them yet. But if they try to get into the building..."

"I won't let them. I'll leave a note too. For the night crew."

"Thanks, Carl. I appreciate it."

"Absolutely. They bothering you?"

"I don't... I'm not sure..."

"You're not sure?"

"It's probably nothing," Tim said and shot Carl a smile. "I'm working on this story that's keeping me up at night. Probably just being paranoid."

"Sometimes, paranoid is the way to be," Carl warned. “Especially in Gotham.”

"I'll keep that in mind. You have a good day. And thanks for looking out, man."

Carl said goodbye and Tim took off towards his train stop. He used the reflections in the windows of the buildings around him to look for a tail. He didn't see anyone, but Tim was still cautious as he made his way down the stairway into his train stop.

Tim usually walked all the way down to the far end of the platform. It was usually less crowded in the areas farther from the stairs and Tim found he had a better chance of getting a seat during rush hour if he headed toward the ends of the platform.

This morning, Tim pushed his way to the most crowded section of the station. He moved in close to the other commuters, losing himself in a sea of long coats and bookbags. When the train came, Tim pushed himself into the most crowded car. He squeezed in, pressing up against dozens of bodies as he made his way to the center of the car. From that vantage point, he stood on his tiptoes, watching who got onto the train.

Just as the chimes rang out and a recorded voice let the commuters know that the doors were closing, Tim saw the same middle-aged man in rumpled clothes trying to push inside.

This time, he was stuck behind a row of people and couldn't push on to the train. The doors of the train shut and Tim watched him on the platform, glaring at the train as it rushed past him.

Tim breathed out a sigh of relief and realized that, even though he had lost the man, for now, he likely knew where Tim was going.

It was 7:30 in the morning. Tim was clearly on his way to the office.

Tim thought about that for the rest of the train ride. When he finally pushed through the doors of the Gazette's building just before eight in the morning. He took the elevator to his floor.

Gotham was a city where the daily commute was usually pretty terrible, whether you drove or took the train, it always took a while to get in. The office was almost entirely deserted. The only people in at this hour were interns and the poor suckers who had to hit the six am publish deadline.

Tim glanced over to his editor's office. The lights were on and he was sitting inside.

Pulling off his coat, Tim draped it over his chair and pulled his laptop out of his bag. Thinking hard for a minute, Tim suddenly came to a decision to bring Conrad in on his story a little bit more.

Tim's editor's name was Lyle Conrad. He had been with the Gazette for about thirty years now and he looked exactly what a reporter who had worked at a Gotham City newspaper for thirty years should look like. Paunchy, balding, lots of wrinkles around his eyes, and a long-suffering look perpetually on his face.

"Drake. What do you need? I've got people on deadline who need me."

"Yeeeeeah," Tim said, slouching into the chair in front of Conrad’s desk. "I have a thing..."

Conrad looked up at him, a sharp expression suddenly on his face.

"A thing?"

"Remember how I told you I was working on a story with environmental contamination implications?"

"Yeah, remember how I told you to find a better one because everyone thinks those are boring?"

"It has ties to LexCorp."

Conrad went still and silent.

"LexCorp," he said finally.

"LexCorp," Tim confirmed.

"You think this because...?"

"Because the land surrounding the contaminated site is all owned by one of Luthor's lawyers."

"Shit."

"And..."

"And?"

"I interviewed a few LexCorp employees that gave me some clear connections between the site and Luthor and genetic modification experiments."

"Jesus."

"And…"

"And?" Conard asked, his voice going higher.

"And I think I might be being followed..."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"How far along is your story?”

"I need more. I mean I have a lot but it's a lot of former employees who are years away from working for Luthor—"

"Because of NDAs..."

"Exactly and while there's a clear trail..."

"You have nothing damning."

"I mean, I could have something damning if the lawyers here wanted to defend trespassing..."

"No. Trespassing." 

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"Are you worried about your safety?"

"I'm worried about my sources."

Conrad sighed and grimaced at Tim.

"I need you to write this. I need you to write this with what you have and I need to start fact-checking."

"Absolutely."

"I need you to not end up dead in a dumpster somewhere."

"Strongly agree."

"I need you to not be credibly accused of any crimes."

"I mean... yeah."

"Get to work. I'm going to call the lawyers."

"Yes sir," Tim said, getting to his feet.

"And Drake..."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful..."

"I'll do my best."

So, Tim got to work.

His outline was already written so Tim put in his headphones, called up his favorite playlist, and started writing.

Time flew as Tim's fingers moved quickly across his keyboard. When Conrad tapped him on the shoulder, Tim glanced at the time on his laptop and realized it was past two in the afternoon.

"Lawyers want a draft ASAP. I'm going to need the fact-checkers to start on this as soon as we can manage."

"Give me six more hours," Tim said.

Conrad nodded and pursed his lips.

"I'm taking this up the chain."

"Probably not the worst idea."

"You're going to get us sued."

"Yeah, probably."

"This is worth it?"

Tim paused, thinking about how to answer before he did.

"He's doing scary things. And I think he might be doing scary things to living creatures who can't protect themselves. Maybe not humans, but I feel like that shouldn’t matter."

Conrad nodded and patted Tim briefly on the shoulder.

"Then do your job," Conrad said and walked away.

Tim popped his earbuds back in and went back to work.

It was closer to nine hours later when Tim's first draft was finished. He had done one thorough pass-through by ten that night.

When he looked up, he saw the light was still on in Conrad's office. Tim got to his feet and stretched. He refilled his Nalgene bottle before walking over to Conrad's office.

He tapped on the doorframe and Conrad looked up at him.

"It's done?"

"It's done," Tim said.

"Send it to me?"

"Should be in your inbox."

"I'll get someone to work on this right away."

"Get Sonia," Tim said.

"Sonia?"

"She helped me with some initial research. She's at least somewhat read in."

Conrad nodded and looked Tim over.

"You need to eat."

"Oh, for sure."

"Go eat."

"Call me if you need me?"

"We'll talk tomorrow."

"But if Sonia has questions, you'll call me."

"We'll talk tomorrow," Conrad said more firmly.

"Aren't you supposed to be the toughest editor here?"

"I am. Now go eat."

Tim gave Conrad a wave goodbye. '

Before he left, he checked his messages. He had a few emails from colleagues that could wait for the next day. The work instant message program had a few messages about leftover lunch in the common area which was probably long gone. He had one more message from his work social media account.

*Hey, my friend Ariel said you’re working on a story. I might have some things to talk to you about. Any way we could chat?*

The message was ambiguous enough that Tim felt like it was probably legitimate. When he googled the number, he found it was real.

Tim texted Ariel who confirmed she had a friend who wanted to talk.

Tim brought up his encrypted messenger program and sent her a message.

*This is Drake. I got your message. Ariel said you wanted to talk?*

She responded within moments.

*Can you meet somewhere?*

Tim felt his stomach drop out then. He knew he was being tailed. The man who had been following him was probably waiting outside the Gazette building.

*Yes, pick a place you've never been, then send me the address?*

She texted him the address of a tea house just outside of Chinatown.

Tim packed his bag and pulled on his coat before peeking inside Conrad's office.

"If an enterprising young reporter wanted to leave the building without anyone seeing him and catch a rideshare to a totally different part of town, how might he do that?"

Conrad looked up at him and shook his head.

"Take the elevator to the basement and then take the stairs at the far end of the building. It'll come out on the alleyway behind the building."

"My keyfob doesn't go to the basement."

Conrad sighed and walked him to the elevator. He hit the button going down and as they waited, he eyed Tim.

"Do I need to know where you're going?"

"Probably best if you don't."

"Are you going to tell me about it tomorrow?"

"Depends..."

The door chimed and opened. Tim stepped inside. Conrad leaned in and swiped his keyfob before hitting the button for the basement.

"Be careful."

"Always," Tim promised.

The doors slid shut and Tim stepped out into the basement. It was dark and smelled a little funky, like all the mold, dead rats, and leftover supervillain effluvia had all converged into a concentrated stink. He understood why people weren't usually allowed down there. He took the stairs to the door leading out to the alleyway. Stepping outside, Tim shivered and pulled up the rideshare app on his phone.

He entered an address three blocks from the tea house. He eyed the alleyway and made sure no one saw him getting into the car. He got out a few blocks away from the tea and started walking.

When he got to the tea house, there was a woman waiting.

Tim walked over to her and she smiled at him.

"The bubble tea is good," she said.

"I think I need something warm. Also some food. Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head and Tim ordered a coffee and a pastry. He took them over to the woman.

"I'm Tim," he introduced himself. She smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm Kira," she said.

"You worked at LexCorp with Ariel?"

"I did..." she said hesitantly. "But I... I had a very different experience."

"Tell me about it?"

"I did work with Ariel. Only... Ariel was skeptical of everyone and everything. Me? I towed the company line. I did what I was told. I was excited by every opportunity. I worked hard, I worked late, I listened to every word my supervisors said then..."

"Then?"

She gave him a grim sort of smile and tilted her head to the side.

"Then I got promoted."

"To what?"

"To work in the main lab."

"What happened at the main lab?"

"It's where all our research came together," she explained. "It's where they..."

She paused and shook her head, swallowing hard. She took a long sip of her bubble tea before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"That's where they kept the animals..."

"The animals?"

"The lab animals. The ones... The ones we were modifying..."

"Can you tell me a little more about that? What type of modifications?”

"It was..." she started and trailed off again. She shook her head and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She swiped at it a few times.

She eventually turned it around to face Tim and Tim's mouth went dry. He took the phone from her hands and started thumbing through the pictures.

The images were hard to identify at first. Cages lined the walls of sterile rooms. Inside of them, animals cowered not corners. Some had fur, others had just thick rippling skin. Many had large open sores that wept puss and blood.

Tim swallowed hard and eventually closed his eyes to briefly block out the pictures.

"You did... What did you do?" Tim asked, haltingly.

"I said this was cruel. That we shouldn't be treating the animals this way..."

"And?"

"And the next day I was terminated."

"What cause did they give?"

"It was at will," she said grimly. "And honestly I was fine with it. I wasn't going to fight it. I didn't want... I didn't want any part of it."

"Did you tell anyone?"

She shook her head and swallowed hard.

"What good would it do? Ariel had already left and they made me sign an NDA... The lawyers were very convincing and very scary…"

Tim breathed out a sigh and nodded.

"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot."

"Yeah, but most people, like Ariel, theirs is up in a couple of years. Three years max. Me? Mine's good for the next 60 years."

"You’re still under the NDA?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, but..."

"But?"

"I dream about those animals. I dream about the smell, the sound of their whimpers. I dream about them..."

"Yeah," Tim said, looking down at the pictures again. "I can understand that..."

"You think... You think he's still doing it?" she asked, haltingly.

Tim nodded grimly and reached across the table to pat her hand.

"Yeah, but I think maybe we can stop it."

They encrypted the files and she sent the pictures over to Tim. Before she left, Tim looked outside the door to make sure no one was loitering outside, waiting for them. She left then, promising to keep in touch.

*I got more.* Tim texted to Conrad. *I'll need to update the story.*

*Go home and go to bed.* Conrad texted back. *We'll fix it in the morning. And don't forget to eat.*

Tim picked up a sandwich on his way home and took a rideshare back to his building.

The sedan was still parked out front. The night doorman told him that it had been there all day. The second guy had joined his friend around the time Tim left the office. 

Tim shook his head and made his way back up to his apartment. The sound of the door shutting behind him echoed through the apartment and Tim sighed as he kicked off his shoes. He was just padding into the kitchen when his phone buzzed.

It was Dana.

"Hi Tim!" she trilled on the other end of the line.

"Hey Dana, how are you?"

"I'm good. Working late again?" she asked knowingly.

"A little..." Tim said. "Just getting some dinner now."

Tim pulled his sandwich out of the bag and grabbed a plate and some napkins.

"I'm just calling to remind you about dinner on Saturday."

"How could I forget?" Tim teased, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Oh, I don't know, by working too much?"

"Fair. But I'll be there, I promise."

"Perfect. Any chance you'll have someone tagging along?" Dana asked in a teasing tone of voice.

Tim felt his stomach drop out at that. He thought of meeting Dana and his dad for dinner. He thought of the men who had been following showing up. He thought about the safety of his family and his friends...

"Ummm, no. No, Dana," Tim said. "No one tagging along. Maybe next time."

Dana teased him for a few more minutes before ringing off.

Tim suddenly didn't have an appetite anymore...

In Journalism classes in college, Tim learned how to write. He learned how to research. He learned how to fact check and confirm sources.

They never covered how to deal with intimidation, people following you, and what to do when you felt scared in your own home.

Tim shook his head and pushed his sandwich to the side.

Maybe it was time to talk to someone who knew a lot about the scarier parts of journalism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait for you all to read the next chapter. It's essentially why I wrote this story~~
> 
> Also Tim cheering Scaredy Kon up when he's sad and afraid is one of my favorite things ever. Also probably one of Kon's. Tim makes Kon want to be brave.


	11. Chapter 11 - Bad Memories & Good Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon and Krypto investigate and Tim gets some advice.

Kon felt a sharp gnawing sense of dread pulling at his stomach as he flew. He had been so anxious when he woke that morning that he hadn't even been able to manage to choke down a piece of toast. He finally gave up on his morning routine and headed out to get this all over with.

When he and Krypto kicked off into flight, Kon tried hard to keep his breathing even. The sky was bright and brilliant blue. A cool breeze wafted the clouds slowly around him. The air felt clean and fresh and Krypto was by his side. Any other day, he would be thrilled to be where he was right now. 

But today...

Today a clammy sweat trickled down his back and his muscles were so tight they ached.

Kon would never forget what it had felt like when he left the LexCorp facilities where he was decanted. The fear, the lingering pain from Luthor’s latest cruelty, the knowledge he had nowhere to go for help except to the man who had the most reason to reject him...

He remembered every second if it so vividly. It all came back to him in deeply troubling flashes as he flew closer and closer to the buildings he had fled.

Kon stayed well above the clouds as he flew. He took what Tim had told him to heart. He didn't want to be spotted by anyone hovering around any LexCorp properties. The last thing he wanted was Luthor to be on guard.

Or worse to start considering Kon as some type of threat...

Taking a sharp left, with Krypto hot on his heels, Kon made his way to just above one of the three facilities in which he had been housed during his time at LexCorp. Using his Xray vision, Kon peered down at the facility.

It was the lab from which Kon had ultimately fled. He had been brought here after his time in the VR system that had educated him.

Hovering above the facility, Kon could see cars in the parking lot. Using his super hearing, he listened closely to the chattering hum of the voices of the employees in the facility. Try as he might, he couldn't see into the building, though. 

Luthor had lead-lined all his labs and other work buildings ages ago, in an effort to keep Superman from snooping.

While he could hear some of the conversations going on inside, even after listening in for over an hour, Kon didn't hear anything useful. 

Puffing out a sigh, Kon looked around the area near the lab for signs of any animal life that was out of the ordinary. No caves or dens, no mauled trees, no dead animals.

Everything seemed normal. At least outwardly.

Kon shook his head and decided to try the next lab. He and Krypto took off in the direction of the facility where Kon had mostly spent his time learning in the VR system. There were only a few cars parked outside and most of the voices of the employees inside were drowned out by white noise machines in almost every room.

The building was small and non-descript. Kon had remembered it being so much bigger and more intimidating than it seemed now. Brick walls were internally lined with lead and there wasn't a single window facing the outside.

Kon did the same inspection, looking for signs of large animals on the loose. This time Krypto went down closer to the ground to look for anything out of the ordinary. He came back to Kon about twenty minutes later empty-pawed.

With a dismissive wave of one hand, Kon took off to the last facility he remembered. It was the lab where he had been decanted. It was the one where he experienced the most fear and the most pain.

When he got there, he found the building abandoned. Windows were broken and the doors were hanging open. There was no human in sight and no cars in the parking lot. A broken down fence rimmed the property, barbed wire growing into the trunks of trees and grass had grown up over the posts.

Cautious, Kon decided to go down and check it out. He let Krypto head down first and look for signs of any human life. When he let Kon know all was clear with a little yip, Kon sped towards the ground.

He touched down outside the building and took it all in. The lead lining was still in place but the area was clearly deserted.

Kon remembered this building less than the others. He hadn't spent as much time in this space. Well, he hadn't spent as much time conscious and aware here.

It had been the worst place, though.

This was where they spent the most time 'working on him.' Giving him 'enhancements' and making him 'better.'

He had been at his weakest here. Kon had never been able to figure out if it was because he had just been decanted and hadn't been exposed to the sun enough or if they were doing something to deliberately keep him from being able to protect or defend himself.

It all looked so different now.

The doors and windows were broken, plant life grew up and around it. The whole building smelled vacant and musty.

Krypto gave a soft little yip and slipped inside the building. Kon followed just behind him.

The building was dark. There were few windows, very little natural light spilled into the place. Squinting a little into the darkness, Kon scanned the area. cautiously.

He walked through vacant, dirty halls, dodging old computer chairs and broken down desks. The hallways were long and narrow, Kon's light didn't penetrate very far in the darkness. Krypto padded off up ahead of him, making his way back towards the labs.

The labs looked like Kon remembered, glass walls and doors separated the sterile lab from a cubicle farm. There was a series of hooks lining one wall with a few tattered and filthy lab coats still hung up on them. Debris littered the floors and Kon picked his way to the doors of the lab.

The large glass panel doors were shut tight. Kon hard to work hard to pry them open without shattering them. As soon as he pulled them apart far enough to slip inside, he and Krypto did.

Kon walked cautiously into the lab, looking around. Lab benches supported broken instruments and empty cages lined the walls. 

Kon hadn’t remembered the cages.

The cages were huge, six-foot-high and about four-foot-long. The bars were thick and bent in some places, covered in rust and lichen. Moldering blankets lined the bottoms of the cages, they were thick with fur from the animals that used to live in the cages. In the far cage, he found the desiccated remains of a small, deformed animal.

Kon fought down a shudder and pulled his backpack off his back. He pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and grabbed a tweezer that Karen had given him. He collected a few hair samples from the cages and bagged up one entire blanket and the remains of the small animal.

Kon then moved through the lab, examining the instruments. They looked old, almost a decade at least. They were large and bulky, pieces of the instruments had to the floor. He snapped a few pictures of them with his phone as he moved around the lab.

It was Krypto who hit paydirt though. While Kon was eyeing another series of cages, Krypto let out a low yip. Kon walked over to him to find him standing in front of a toppled lab bench. The bench was mostly on its side, the instruments that were on top of it had fallen to the floor, breaking violently.

The contents spilled across the hard lab floor. The wreckage was full of random tubes and machinery. Within it, Kon caught sight of what looked like an ancient laptop.

Kon let his TTK come up around his gloves, protecting his hands. He dug through the rubble to pull out a laptop with a broken screen and keyboard missing several keys.

Kon slid the laptop into a plastic baggie and dropped it into his bookbag.

With one last look around the empty lab, Kon and Krypto slipped back out of the building.

Scanning the area, Kon spent a few more minutes taking in the lab. When he remembered it, when he dreamed about it, it was always huge, too brightly lit and stinking of disinfectant and dead animals.

Taking it all in now, the small building, the low roof, the relative size of the facility, Kon suddenly felt... bigger... stronger... less afraid.

Feeling more self-assured than he had in years, Kon kicked off, up in the air, his backpack heavy with samples and the laptop.

Pulling out his phone, Kon called up Karen's number and dialed.

"Hey, what's up Kon?" she answered distractedly.

"I think I found something. Have some time to analyze a few more samples?"

"I should. Where did they come from?" she asked.

"I'll explain when I get there. Also, how are you with computers?"

"Sorry to say, not my thing," Karen said. "You'll need to find someone else to help you with that."

"Hmmmm, ok."

"I'm working now. Can you come by tonight?"

"Eight?"

"Perfect."

Kon switched course and headed back home. He and Krypto touched down in the park and walked back to his apartment. His stomach was growling when he pushed through the door of his apartment. Kon put his book bag on his kitchen counter before giving Krypto a couple of treats.

Thinking about who he could ask to help him with the laptop, Kon made a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. He was wondering if maybe Tim knew a little bit about computers as he slid the sandwiches onto a plate.

He sat down at the counter and took a bite of his sandwich as he pulled up the instant message program on his phone.

*Hey, how are you with computers?*

*I know a thing or two. Why?*

*I may have a thing for you.*

*What kind of thing?*

*The thing we should talk about, not text.*

Ten seconds later, Kon's cell phone rang.

"What did you find?" Tim asked immediately, not even selling hello.

"There was an abandoned LexCorp lab. I found a computer."

"Are you crazy, what if someone had been there!? You could have been hurt!"

"You do understand that I'm nigh-invulnerable with Tactile Telekinesis that acts as a shield, right?"

"Right..." Tim said, his voice calmer. "Irstun throniv..."

Kon huffed a soft laugh and shook his head.

"Getting closer..."

"I'll take a look at the laptop," Tim said. "Where can I meet you?"

"Ummm... Your place?"

"Better not. I'll explain why later. Anywhere else that has good lighting and maybe some tools?"

"I'll... Are you free at eight tonight?"

"I can be."

"I'm going to Peej's lab. She's testing some samples for me and..."

"Maybe I can work on the laptop there?"

"Exactly."

"She blindfolded me when she took me there and back out last time. Is there anyone who can give me a ride? Preferable a ride that is at a speed that will not cause pervasive nausea..."

"Can you meet me at Centennial Park at 7:30?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. I'll see you then."

They rung off and Kon finished his sandwiches as he texted Karen.

*Can I bring my computer expert to your lab tonight?*

*Is your computer expert a certain reporter we all know and love?*

*Maybe...*

*Just... make sure you blindfold him.*

*You bet.*

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Tim got off the train at Central Station in Metropolis, a nervous feeling roiling through his stomach. He looked nervously around for any signs that someone was following him as he melted into the crowd getting off the train. He let the flow of people lead him out of the station and onto the street.

Tim was pretty sure he had managed to duck his tail in Gotham City, but he hadn't been able to confirm it until he got off the train.

Walking quickly, Tim took a winding, circuitous route, walking in circles, doubling back, ducking into corners to see if he saw any face more than once.

When he was feeling confident that he wasn't being followed, he took off at a quick pace towards the Daily Planet building. He pushed through the front doors and stopped at the security station in the front of the building.

He slid his card and ID across the table and smiled at the woman at the desk.

"Can you let Lois Lane know that I'm waiting down here for her?"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yup," Tim lied smoothly.

The woman nodded and tapped at her computer. A few moments later she looked up at Tim and smiled.

"She'll be right down."

"Great!" Tim said and walked over to a sofa near a large bank of windows. He settled into the cushions to wait, face turned away from the window.

A few moments later a curious-looking Lois Lane came into the lobby, looking around for him. When she finally spotted him she came over and looked down her nose at him.

"I don't have a lot of time. I'm on deadline you know."

Tim got his feet and shook his head.

"I'm a reporter, too. If you really were on deadline, you wouldn't be here right now."

Lois Lane narrowed her eyes at him and tilted her head to one side.

"What did you want?"

Tim pursed his lips, unsure exactly how to ask for what he wanted.

"Buy you a coffee?"

"You can buy me an expensive latte," she said striding purposefully to the front doors of the building.

"You got it."

Lois led him off down the street as they walked toward whatever coffee shop was her preference. The place was bustling and it took a few minutes to put in their order and get their drinks. Tim ordered two lattes, one for each of them.

Lois hadn't been kidding about the lattes being expensive.

Coffee was good, though.

Lois accepted her cup with a curt nod and led Tim back outside. She turned out onto the street and took off at a brisk pace. Tim fell into step next to her.

"Is this about Rush?" Lois asked as she walked, watching him from the corner of her eye.

"What?" Tim asked, taken a little by surprise by the question. "Oh... No, not really. Superman told you about that?"

"He did. He tells me a lot of things. If this isn’t about a Super, what is it about."

"Ummm, I guess I just had a few questions for you. Reporter to reporter…”

“Oh?” she said, taking a sip of her latte and lifting a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him questioningly. 

“I wanted to ask about a few things they don't teach at J school..."

She looked over at him with a bright smile.

"Ohhhh, somebody's watching you," she sing-songed.

"Actually, yeah,” Tim said. “It's pretty scary. Scarier than I thought it would be."

"Ohhhh, yeah... I can see how that would be scary the first time..." she said thoughtfully.

Tim decided to let that comment go and push forward for advice.

"They're waiting outside my apartment, my office, they're following me when I go out for drinks with friends..."

"You spotted them?" she asked, interestedly.

"Yeah, eventually. My doorman said they've been watching my building for about a week now. I just noticed them a day or two ago..."

“Over a week, now?”

“At least.”

"So they're probably not going to hurt you..."

"What?"

"If they let you see them, they're probably just interested in scaring you a little."

"That’s… I guess that makes sense…” Tim conceded.

“Is it working?

“Yeah, it's working,” Tim admitted wryly. His throat felt tight suddenly and he took a sip off his latte to soothe it.

"It's working, how?" she asked sharply. "It's working because you're scared or it's working because you stopped reporting?"

"No! No! I didn't stop reporting. But... I am scared. And I am worried about my sources and… and my parents... What if they…" Tim trailed off and shook his head. He took another hasty tip of coffee to give himself a minute to regain composure.

Lois nodded consideringly and took a sip of her latte.

"Now, that I'll bet they covered in J School," Lois said. "Protecting your sources should be your first priority."

"Before protecting my friends and family?"

Lois Lane gave Tim an exasperated look and puffed out a breath that poofed out her bangs.

"Think about that for like thirty more seconds, kid. You're smarter than this."

Tim did.

"I don't need to worry about my friends and family because they're not who he cares about. He cares about the story so—"

"Exactly. So you need to focus on protecting your sources," Lois confirmed with a satisfied nod. "See, I knew you were smart."

"You think I'm smart?"

"Don't get all fanboy on me now, kid," she said slyly.

"Yeah, point taken," Tim said, embarrassed.

"So, what steps have you taken so far?" Lois asked.

"Well, I came to talk to you..."

Lois shot him a dirty look before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Try again and don't be a smartass this time."

"So I did the basics," Tim said. "My phone is encrypted. I'm only communicating with my sources through a secure text channel. I had them all setup dummy numbers before we started talking. We always meet in crowded coffee shops..."

"You're checking you're not being followed to these meets?"

"I mean, now I am. But yeah. I know what two of the guys who are following me look like, but if there are others..."

"Yeah, you need to start paying close attention to people's faces. Also hats and coats. Sometimes those are easier to remember than faces..."

"Hmmmm, hats and coats..."

"Exactly, when you're going to a meet book a rideshare to take you to somewhere random, get out and book another rideshare. Same with trains. Take a random train to a random station, get off, and backtrack. Most people don't backtrack so if you spot any of the same faces..."

"Good to know."

"Your instincts were right on the mark when it comes to the coffee shops. You're harder to hear and spotting faces is easier. Also, coffee shops tend to have a ‘type’ so depending on where you go, your tail can stand out."

"Anything else?"

"Think about what next steps you'd take if you were in their position."

"Meaning what?"

"Well... You spotted these guys. They made it clear that they're following you. You know they're following you. You got to the point where they know you're trying to lose them."

"Yeah, and?"

"And that means their scare tactics aren't working. You're still working the story."

"You think they'll up the ante? Maybe threaten me?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you had a very uncomfortable meeting with your editor sometime soon."

"You think someone is going to put pressure on my editor?"

"I'm saying don't be surprised if they try," Lois said.

"Has that happened to you?"

"Pbbbft," Lois puffed out an exasperated sigh. "So many times. Perry has the calls just directed to an intern who pretends to be him now."

Tim huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

Lois fell silent for a long moment as she took a long sip from her travel mug.

"I don't want details. I'm not looking to encroach on your turf, but I do need to know..."

"Yeah?"

"Does any of this mean anything bad for him?"

"S— I mean... Blue?"

"Yeah... Blue."

"It could... I'm not sure yet."

Lois turned to look at him, expression fierce and serious.

"I get that the story is yours but if it means... keeping people safe..."

"I've been talking to Rush. If I find anything that's dangerous to them, I will let them know right away."

"You'll let me know too?"

Tim lifted an eyebrow at her curiously.

"Sometimes he thinks there are things I don't need to know. You know, so I don't worry. Sometimes he's an idiot."

Tim shook his head and smiled.

"Yeah, I can see that... Did he tell you about the algae?"

"He told me Rush was exposed to something rough... It's something... Blue would be vulnerable too?"

"I think they determined that they would need to... ingest it... for it to be dangerous."

"So don't cook him algae soup?"

"Step one, for sure."

Lois huffed out a sigh.

"Who do you think is behind all of this?"

"All signs point to Luthor..."

"Jesus..." Lois breathed out. "Then absolutely get ready for a call from your editor. Don't be surprised if you get a few calls from some lawyers too... Maybe some certified mail."

"Do people even use certified mail, anymore?"

"How old are you?"

"It's not about age, it's about what you know..."

"And you don't know about certified mail..."

"I know other things..."

"Yeah, things that could hurt Blue... You can see why I'm losing confidence."

Tim turned to face her, coming to a quick decision to ask her the question he really wanted the answers to.

"Real talk, though LL. Does it get harder?"

"Does what get harder?"

"You know. Protecting them. Right now... No one is looking at me too seriously. But they're starting to. And eventually, they're going see Blue on my balcony or Rush grabbing coffee with me."

"You're worried they're going to see you with Blue and Rush?"

"Among other things..."

"What other things..."

"I'm..." Tim started and glanced away from her. "I just... this isn't my first rodeo... With the capes, you know. I just... What if they start looking at me closer and find the same things I did."

"What did you find?"

"Batman... Batman used to be less careful... I think..."

"What does mean?"

"I'm just saying how much do you worry? How much do you prepare for these things?"

"Did you just tell me you know who Batman is?"

"Let’s be real, we both know who he is."

Lois Lane eyed him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"Do you have evidence? Like physical evidence?"

Tim grimaced at her.

"Jesus... You're in a lot deeper than I thought..."

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about..."

"What kind of evidence?"

"I... destroyed most of it..."

“Most of it?”

Tim grimaced again and tried not to look as guilty as he felt. There were just some pictures he had never been able to bring himself to destroy. He was an artist, after all. 

"When did you get it?"

"I mean... I was maybe 11.."

"You've known Batman's identity since you were 11?"

"Something like that..."

"He's not going to like this."

"Are you going to tell him?”

“I mean…” Lois hedged and didn’t look him in the face.

“Blue said he reads my stories."

"Anyone with any sense reads your stories."

"That's... the coolest thing anyone has ever said to me..."

She huffed out a laugh.

"He's going to lose his shit when he finds out."

"Finds out?"

"Oh, Blue is absolutely going to tell him."

"And you're going to tell Blue?"

"Do you really think he isn’t listening right now?”

That was… disconcerting. 

Sounded like Superman wasn’t as polite as Rush.

"I always sort of assumed Batman knew I knew..."

"Guess we’re going find out."

"So... It does get harder?"

"Oh yeah. Absolutely. Get a better security system."

"I have no security system, currently..."

"That's terrifying... I'll give you my guy's number. He'll set you up with something good."

"Yeah, I don't make that good, good Pulitzer money, LL. I can't afford something big."

"Mmmm, somehow, I think that won't be an issue."

"Meaning?"

"You have people with a vested interest in you not being kidnapped and interrogated..."

Tim wasn't sure how to respond to that...

“Are you… going to send Batman out to put a security system and very probably bugs, in my home?”

Lois hummed in a charmingly noncommittal way. 

They turned out of the park and made their way back towards the Daily Planet's building.

"Just keep me posted," Lois said, as they walked. "If anyone gives you shit, you let me know. I have some lawyers I can recommend if you need them."

"This is... terrifying..."

Lois thanked him for the coffee and gave him an airy wave goodbye.

"Tell your editor I said hello."

"He'll be thrilled." 

"We actually worked together. We sat next to each other in the bullpen at my first gig."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He's a good guy. Just remember that."

"Got it."

"And Drake?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't stop until the story is published. No matter what."

^*^*^*^*^*^*

Kon checked his phone as he was washing up his dinner dishes and putting them away. There was a text from Tim on the notifications.

*I'm at the park. Scoop me when you get the chance.*

Kon used his superspeed to finish up the dishes and change into his uniform. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and kicked off out his window.

It only took him a couple of minutes to find Tim. He was tucked into a leafy section of Centennial Park, taking pictures of a small patch of mushrooms.

Kon touched down next to him and Tim looked up at him with a smile.

"Hey," Tim said.

Kon felt his heart stutter in his chest.

"Hey," he said back. "Umm... ready to go?"

"Yeah, just..."

"Just?"

"When I flew with Peej... It was a little rough..."

"So... fly slowly?"

"Please, for the love of God, yes," Tim said all in a rush.

Kon huffed out a laugh.

"Ok, but..."

Kon held out a bandanna to Tim.

Tim folded it neatly and tied it around his head, covering his eyes. He tugged at it a few times and then nodded.

"Alright, ready to go," Tim reported, reaching his arms out, seeking Kon.

Kon felt his mouth get dry. Even with his eyes covered, Tim's face was so open, so trusting. Kon wanted nothing more than to feel those arms wrapped around his neck again, Tim's slim form pressed against his body...

Kon swallowed hard and stepped in, wrapping his arms around Tim and pulling him in close. Tim tucked himself into Kon's shoulders and clutched at Kon's waist.

Kicking off into the air, Kon could feel Tim's grip tighten around him.

"You ok?" Kon asked as he felt Tim's heart rate kick up.

"I— Yeah. I'm good," Tim said breathlessly.

"Ok, we're going to go a little faster now," Kon warned.

"Yeah... ok," Tim said, his voice was a little higher and thick with nervousness.

Kon moved faster then, taking off in the direction of Karen's lab.

"Are we... How long... Will this be?" Tim asked, apprehensively.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine," Tim said.

"A few more minutes, I promise."

"Ok," Tim said, tightening his arms around Kon even more.

Kon swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly very dry. He sped up slightly, hearing Tim gasp slightly as he did.

They were there in three minutes.

Kon texted Karen and she let them in, wearing a lab coat over her uniform. Kon led Tim into the lab and Karen pulled the bandanna from his head.

Tim's hair was mussed and he blinked, his eyes adjusting back to the light.

"Welcome back. Need a shower?" Karen teased.

Tim grinned at her.

"I would very much prefer not to be naked in a public place again for, oooohhhh, the rest of my life, really..."

"Spoilsport," Karen teased.

"Wait, what happened?" Kon asked.

"I had to strip down and use Peej's decontamination shower that night you took a dip in the lake..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just a precaution," Karen reassured Kon. "It was still the most action that shower has seen in ages."

"I'm hoping the last action it saw involved less awkward dry heaving."

"Significantly less," Karen said.

"That tracks," Tim said.

"So... uh..." Kon broke in, desperate to change the subject. "I have those samples for you."

"Perfect," Karen said.

They made their way to one of Karen's lab benches. Kon handed her the bags of samples and Tim the laptop.

Tim looked it over through the bag, examining it.

"Hmmmm," Tim said. "This guy is a little old. Want to tell us more about how you got these samples and the laptop?"

Kon explained to them about the facilities he had been held in. He told them about visiting all three and finding the last one deserted. He told them about the cages and the samples...

"Jesus," Tim whispered. "That's..." Tim shook his head and swallowed hard.

"Yeah..." Kon said, hesitantly.

"How many cages were there?" Karen asked.

"Maybe five?"

"All filled with fur?" Karen asked.

"Yeah."

"Was anything else in the facilities when you were there?" Tim asked, curiously.

"Not much, it was mostly me... I think I was a full-time project. But when I left..."

"They expanded," Karen said grimly.

"But why backtrack? Why go from an alien to an animal?"

"I'm guessing because I ran away..." Kon mused.

"Ran away?"

"Yeah, maybe it was because I was harder to control than an animal would be..."

Karen and Tim both went quiet at that. Clearly thinking about the implications of what Kon had said. 

Finally, Tim shook his head, walked over to Kon, and gave him a brief but tight hug. Tim's arms were stronger than Kon had expected and felt way too nice when Tim pressed his face into Kon's shoulder.

"On the plus side," Tim said, pulling back from the hug. "You're not there now. You're here. With us. And we're going to nail these assholes to the wall."

"They won't know what hit them," Karen agreed, giving Kon a grim, protective smile.

Kon swallowed hard and nodded. Grateful to both of them for being so supportive and warm. Kon didn't think he would ever get used to that. Or how safe and appreciated it made him feel.

Tim and Kon left Karen to play with the hair samples while the two of them turned to the laptop that Kon had found.

After pulling a set of tools out of his work bag, Tim got to work on the laptop. It took about an hour and fiddling with six different adapters before Tim got the thing powered on and booted up. It let out a low hum as it worked and Tim grimaced, looking down at the fan that was clearly not spinning properly.

"We've got to work fast," Tim said. "This thing is either going to overheat because the fan is messed up or the noise is going to drive us to throw it out the window. I'm not sure which will happen first."

Kon huffed out a laugh as the computer finished booting up.

An old windows logo popped up on the screen, prompting them for a password.

Tim made a face and looked at the computer thoughtfully. He turned it over and looked at the sides and bottom.

"Where do you say you found this thing again?"

"In the far lab, the one with the cages."

"Was there a name or number?" Tim asked. "For the lab?"

"Oh, uh. There was a big 18 painted on one of the glass doors..."

Tim nodded and typed a couple of things into the laptop. Each time the computer informed him he had the incorrect password. About thirty passwords and fifteen minutes later, Tim had them in the computer.

"We're in?" Kon asked.

"We're in," Tim confirmed.

Tim navigated to the files on the desktop, clicking a couple open and looking through the file names.

"Looks like there's logs for the lab when medication, food, and water was administered," Tim said slowly skimming through some of the documents. "Looks like there are some notes here about their research plan, hypotheses, and results..."

"How far do they go back?" Kon asked, nervously. He was a little worried Tim might find information on his case. The last thing he wanted was for Tim to stumble on pictures of him bound to a table in tears.

That would be too humiliating for words.

"Mmmm, these files are from seven years ago," Tim said. "And it looks like the oldest record on the computer was from three years before that."

Before Kon's time, thank god.

"What sorts of evidence is there?" Kon asked.

"Lots... Notes, pictures, detailed logs..."

"Is Luthor's name in any of it?"

Tim did a quick search of the document, paging through the files as he did. He typed 'Luthor,' 'Lex,' 'Alexander' and a couple of other names into the search bar but came up empty.

"No mention of Luthor specifically by name," Tim mused. "But there are a few mentions of visits by and directions from someone just called L."

"L..." Kon mused.

"It could be Luthor," Tim said. "But it could also be any number of other people with the initial L..."

Kon puffed out a sigh and shook his head.

"So we don't actually have anything on him..." Kon said, disappointed.

"I mean," Tim said, still scrolling through documents. "We have evidence of illegal genetic modification going on in his labs. Even if he didn't have direct oversight, LexCorp would still be liable..."

"So what?" Kon said, feeling disappointed, disheartened, and actually a little angry.

It had taken courage, strength, and will power to make himself go to those labs. It had taken even more to walk inside, even with Krypto at his side. Kon had been brave. He had pushed himself to go after Luthor despite his fear and what did that get him. Nothing.

"Actually," Tim said, his voice soft and comforting. "It means a lot."

Tim reached out a hand and cupped Kon's shoulder comfortingly. His fingers were cold and Kon could feel them through his TTK and the fabric of his shirt.

"You think we can still get Luthor?"

"Maybe not get him, per se," Tim said slowly. "But we can publish this evidence. The FDA and the government will be all over him. His oversight, his inspections, it'll all be much more strict."

"What will that do?"

"It means he would probably have to shut this research down. He wouldn't want to risk any of this getting out. The animal rights people would be all over him and if we had hard evidence on what he did to you—"

"No," Kon said firmly. "We're not... That... We can't publish that."

"Rush, he hurt you. What he did to you wasn't just immoral it was illegal. He deserves to be punished for it."

"No..." Kon said, shaking his head. "I don't want to. I don't want anyone to know. Not about me. Tell them about the animals. That should be enough."

"Your story would really demonstrate how far Luthor has taken this," Tim said, leaning forward and watching Kon with a concerned expression on his face. "The animals are one thing. He'll say they were lab animals. People experiment on lab animals all the time. It's the price of science. But with you... with humans... It's different."

"I'm not a human," Kon bit out. "I'm Kryptonian. I'm— I'm strong. I'm powerful. I—"

"You need everyone to think you're invulnerable because if they don't they might try to hurt you the same way Luthor did," Tim finished for him, his voice sounding very sad.

Kon turned to look at Tim. Tim's expression was serious and full of the type of understanding Kon had always longed for.

Tim always seemed to know just how to say the things Kon was thinking.

"Yeah," Kon rasped out. "I don't want them to know they can hurt me."

Tim swallowed hard and nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I'll do what I can with what we have, then."

Kon nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"It'll take me a few more days to sift through all of this," Tim said, gesturing to the laptop. "I’ll also need to have some people at the Gazette look at it too. Get some fact-checkers looking into the data."

"Will they... Won't they ask where you got it?"

Tim gave him a sad smile and tilted his head to one side.

"They will. I'm just going to say that someone with close ties to LexCorp gave it to me to help my investigation."

"They'll think it was someone working in the lab..." Kon mused.

"That's my hope," Tim said. "I just hope he doesn't try targeting former employees any more than he already has. From everything I heard, it sounds like Theranos got the idea for their hyper litigious standards from LexCorp so..."

"Do you think anyone else will be hurt because of this," Kon asked, eyeing the computer.

"Hard to say but... I'm not worried about it."

"Why?"

"Because anyone he would suspect would have had access to that lab. And if they had access to that lab they're complicit in all of this. So forgive me if I'm not feeling at all guilty about potentially subjecting a couple of them to some lawsuits..."

Kon gave Tim a wry smile. Before he could say anything else Karen walked over.

"Sooooo," she drawled, holding up some sheets of paper. "The body you brought back is weird."

"Weird how?" Kon asked, feeling a little defensive. He knew that it was silly to feel protective over a dead lab animal, but he couldn't help it. He was that lab animal not all that long ago.

"Genetically modified?" Tim pressed, curiously.

"I mean, the body is pretty well deteriorated but there was some skin and fur still on the skeleton as well as a few desiccated organs. The thing that's the most weird is that the place we found this thing... I mean you'd have thought something would have tried to eat it, right?"

"That's... a fair point." Tim mused. "But it was hard to access right? Maybe nothing could get at it?"

"Maybe but there are other things. Some possible signs of radiation sickness along with some strange bone deformities."

Tim furrowed his brows.

"You think it was exposed to high levels of radiation?"

"I mean, moderate at the very least. Do the lab notes mention anything about that." Karen pressed, nodding at the laptop in front of Tim.

"Not sure yet," Tim said. "I need more time to sift through it all."

Karen nodded.

"I'll need more time to run tests on the body as well. Could take a couple of days."

"You're taking pictures?" Tim asked.

"I am."

"Any chance you could share a couple of those with me."

She eyed him seriously then nodded.

"Yeah, I'll have Rush send them over to you," she agreed, finally.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem. I figure I owe you for pictures and algae samples."

"Any chance you could compare the type of radiation in the algae to what you're seeing in the body of the animal?"

"Way ahead of you champ," she said.

Tim smiled at her and she nodded back to the laptop.

"Maybe Rush can take you home so you can do a little light reading. I'll want an update on what you found tomorrow," she said.

"Absolutely," Tim confirmed. It took him about two hours to transfer all the files from the laptop to a thumb drive.

"Taking the whole laptop could technically be considered receiving stolen property. Plus that thing looks like it could give out at any moment," Tim explained. "Better if I just take these data."

Kon nodded as the progress bar edged closer and closer to the end while the files moved slowly onto the thumb drive.

Kon blindfolded Tim again and took him back to Gotham. On the flight home, Tim didn't hold on to him quite as tightly as he had on the way to Karen's lab. Kon couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Tim was still breathless and flushed when Kon set them down in Centennial Park. Tim smiled up at him and handed back the bandanna.

"Thanks for the lift," Tim said.

"Any time."

"I'll text you tomorrow," Tim promised.

"I'll keep my eye out for it."

"And if Peej calls you with new information?" Tim pressed.

"I'll let you know right away," Kon promised.

"Thanks," Tim said, his smile widening.

"I'll talk to you then," Kon said, starting to take off into the air.

"Yup, Give Krypto a kiss for me!" Tim called up to him.

Kon felt something in his belly go warm at that and his face felt hot and flushed as he took off into the chill night sky, heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lois giving Tim advice was 66% of the reason I wrote this. The other 33% was Tim and Kon smooches. 
> 
> Which WILL happen. 
> 
> In a non-dream scenario. 
> 
> I swear.
> 
> I love writing dream smooches~~


	12. Chapter 12 - Lockboxes and Panic Buttons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon and Tim both get some visitors~~~

Tim yawned and stretched, lifting his computer from off his lap so he could uncross his cramped legs. Glancing down at his phone, he realized he had been sitting on the sofa working for hours. The light outside had faded and his apartment was dark except for the glow of his computer screen.

Setting his laptop aside, Tim got to his feet. He turned on a couple of lights as he padded into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. He thumbed through his phone as he filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil.

He prepped the pour-over coffee grounds and waited for the water to come up to temp as he texted with Bernard.

He and Rocky had, apparently, gone on an 'official date' the other night, and apparently, Bernard had a lot of fun. He did admit that all of them meeting for coffee was a ploy to finally push Rocky to ask Bernard out. 

Tim was just typing out a reply to a particularly bad duck-related joke Bernard made when the kettle came to a boil.

He pulled it off the stove and started slowly pouring it over the grounds, watching it drip slowly to the bottom of the Chemex pot. Watching the water seep through the grounds and slowly drip to the bottom of the glass pot was therapeutic in a way.

Tim had been on edge ever since he noticed he was being followed. Talking with Lois yesterday hadn't actually helped. The men were still watching him, he was still getting the strange calls and push notifications.

Tim had changed his locks that morning but aside from that and doing his best to lose the men as much as he could, Tim wasn't sure what else to do.

Just as he was pouring the last of the water into the grounds, Tim heard a firm knock at the door of his apartment. Setting the kettle back down on the stove, Tim padded to his front door. He looked out the peephole, expecting to find his doorman or the lady down the hall who always seemed to need to borrow some milk.

It wasn't either of them. 

A man and a woman stood in Tim's hallway. They were both dressed in navy blue uniforms that said 'Security' in yellow. The woman had long red hair pulled back into a ponytail that was tucked into a baseball cap. The man was tall and broad, his expression curious as he looked around the hallway waiting for Tim to answer the door.

It took Tim a minute to realize who they were.

Batgirl and Robin...

Or... Not Robin anymore. Red Hood now, by all accounts.

Tim's mouth went dry until he remembered what Lois said about letting Batman know what was going on. Butterflies flitted in his stomach as Tim opened his door, leaving his security chain in place. Both of them turned to look at him, watching him shrewdly through the crack in his door.

"Can I... help you?" Tim asked, tentatively.

"Yeah," Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, said. "Lois Lane gave us a call and said you might want a little extra security these days."

"I— when did she call?"

"This afternoon," Jason replied smoothly. "Mind letting us in? The neighbors might start to talk..."

Tim nodded, closing the door to pull the security chain off the and then took a deep breath before opening the door fully. Barbara and Jason stepped inside, looking around his apartment as they did with careful, curious eyes.

"You came fast," Tim said tentatively, closing the door behind them. "I honestly didn't expect anyone to come at all. I'm Tim, by the way."

"We learned the hard way that it's in all of our best interests to keep Lois Lane happy," Jason said as he walked into Tim's living room.

Neither of them introduced themselves. Pointedly.

Tim padded after both of them, suddenly very much aware that he was wearing neon orange basketball shorts, a baggy old Knights t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of black socks with little baseballs on them.

"You... Lois said—"

"She wanted us to set you up with a security system. In case someone decides to come snooping in your house," Barbara said, moving over to the windows in his living room to examine them.

"Yeah, she mentioned you planned on making a career out of kicking hornets nests..."

Tim couldn't really argue with that.

"Did you want a cup of coffee before you get started? I just made a fresh pot."

"Yeah," Jason said. "I'd love one. You can tell us about your set up and your situation, then."

Tim nodded and they all moved to Tim's kitchen. He pulled out a few mugs and some creamer. Tossing the grounds into his composting bin, Tim moved back to the Chemex pot and poured them all a cup of coffee.

"Smells good," Barbara said, inhaling the steam coming off of her mug.

Jason took a big sip, nodding gratefully at Tim.

"So... tell us who you kicked," Barbara said, leaning over to rest her elbows on Tim's counter as she sipped at her mug.

"Ummm, Luthor mostly..." Tim said.

Jason snorted a soft laugh and shook his head.

"Didn't Lois call dibs on him years ago?" Jason asked, smiling.

"I mean, I hear she's hard at work researching baby formula."

"Ohhh, that contaminated stuff? Good call. That's scary."

Jason nodded and gestured to Tim with his mug.

"So what's he doing? Threatening calls? Mobsters following you? Dead cat on your doorstep?"

"No dead cats, fortunately," Tim said, feeling a little queasy. "We've got a pretty good doorman so..."

Jason and Barbara gave each other a significant look.

"What?" Tim asked.

"I mean... He's not that good," Jason said with a shrug.

Tim grimaced and Jason grinned at him.

"Let's take a look at those windows of yours."

They all trooped out into the living room. Barbara pulled out a device and started pacing around Tim's apartment while Jason moved over to the windows. He stopped next to them and looked up at them.

"These are some big windows," he said, simply.

"They are."

"You ever leave them open?"

"We're in Gotham City. A mix of Joker Gas and Fear Gas would probably waft in and kill me in my sleep."

Jason tilted his head to the side in acknowledgment. He reached for the black backpack he had slung over one shoulder and started pulling things out.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm wiring the windows. If anyone tries to open them, we'll get an alert."

"What about me? Do I get an alert?"

Jason turned to look down at Tim, his expression was serious and firm but there was understanding in his eyes.

"Yeah. She’ll set you up with something on your phone that will let you know if the window is tampered with."

"Will... that thing on my phone also help you track my known whereabouts, phone activity and maybe potentially listen in on my conversations?"

Jason's expression turned sly and he lifted an eyebrow at Tim.

"If, by that, you mean 'will it alert us to your whereabouts when you've been kidnapped by crazed Russian Mobsters' then yes."

"I don't know how I feel about this..." Tim hedged.

"Too late," Jason said and got to work.

He wired Tim's windows up with some near-invisible piece of machinery. Barbara was still moving around his house, slowly pacing through each section, when they moved into Tim's bedroom. As they walked Jason took in each of the photographs Tim had hanging on his walls.

"These are good," Jason said, stopping in front of one large picture of the Gotham City skyline just before dawn.

"Thanks," Tim said.

“This was taken out by Robinson Park, right?”

Tim nodded and was about to say something else when Barbara walked over to them. She held out a hand to Tim, offering him something in her fist. When Tim reached out to accept it, she dropped several small devices into it.

Tim felt himself go cold at the sight.

"Are those—" Tim stammered.

"How good's your doorman again?" Barbara asked him with a grim smile.

Tim looked up at her, eyes wide feeling sick and terrified.

“Can they… Can they hear us now?” Tim whispered.

“Nah, I’m running a device that interferes with—” 

"Jesus," Tim said, black spots started to float across his eyes and a loud buzzing sounded in his ears.

"Kid?" Jason's voice cut in, sounding worried. He reached out an arm to steady Tim but Tim pulled away fiercely.

Stumbling as he moved, Tim, skidding on the hardwood of his floors in stocking feet as he rushed into his bedroom. He dashed to his closet and pushed aside his Suit Supply wardrobe, knocking a few to the floor as he moved towards the circuit breaker mounted to the wall. Tim used his fingers to pry it out, bracing it with one shoulder as he reached into the hole in the wall it left behind.

Jason came up behind him and pulled the weight of the circuit breaker off of Tim's shoulder. Tim let him as he reached into the hole and pulled out a small, fireproof lock box.

Tim tucked it under his arm as he rushed back out into the living room, nearly running into a wall as he moved. He placed the box on the floor and lifted one of his framed photographs back from the wall. He pried a small piece of wood back and pulled out a tiny key.

Sitting on the floor, Tim opened the lockbox, he tossed aside the folder of his important paperwork, and pulled out the false bottom on the box. He reached in and removed the sachet of photographs he had tucked neatly into the bottom.

Dropping the box to the floor, Tim examined the envelope he had them stored in. His heart pounded and his breathing came fast as he examined the seal on the envelope.

It was unbroken.

Tim let out a breath of relief and slumped a little where he sat. Jason knelt down next to him and took the packet of photos from his hands. He looked it over and then gave Tim a small smirk.

"Kiddo, I don't think your nudie photos are what these kind of guys are looking for..."

Jason... looked so smug, so condescending.

He clearly didn't realize what Tim was holding.

Wordlessly, Tim took the packet of photos back from Jason, tearing them open. He tugged them from the paper and handed them to Jason.

Jason took them from Tim, looking curious but still amused.

The minute he realized what he was holding, the smirk melted off his face.

"Jesus..." he whispered, sorting through the photos carefully.

Each one was a picture of Batman and Robin. Both of the Robins. Each was dated and numbered in Tim's neat handwriting. Some of them, the older ones, weren't very good. Tim hadn't quite gotten the hang of developing his own photos back then and... the colors weren't always quite right but...

“These are…” Jason hissed and broke off, looking closer at the pictures.

Jason looked up at him, staring directly into his eyes.

"Are there… are there more?" Jason pressed.

"I— I destroyed the rest. Years ago. When I... When I stopped... following you."

"But not these."

"They are... It is art and I am an artist. I couldn't bring myself to. They're my... It's my art."

Jason took a deep breath and blew it out.

Babs crouched down beside Jason and looked at the photos over his shoulder. She let out a low whistle as she pulled one from his hands.

"He's not kidding. These are... Very beautiful," she conceded.

The image was of Nightwing. Tim had taken it from the top of a building not far from where Batman and Nightwing were meeting to debrief one night. Dawn was just starting to break above the buildings and a blue and purple light was streaming through the skyscrapers. Tim caught a picture just moments after Nightwing had leaped from the top of the building, in the split seconds before he deployed his zip line. He was free-falling through the dawn sunlight and his face looked utterly at peace.

"They... they are..." Jason agreed, looking down at a photo of him and Bruce. He was grinning up at Batman and Bruce was looking away from him but there was a small, slight smile on his face that he was trying to hide from Jason.

"You... You know you gave me an A once." Tim stammered.

"What?" Jason asked, turning to face him.

"In Art. You gave me an A for effort."

Jason looked at him blankly and Tim sighed, shaking his head.

"I was a kid, out taking pictures at night. You essentially told me to go the hell home and—"

"Oh god, I remember that. The night Ivy tore up half the Narrows. Jesus, that was you?"

Tim nodded and swallowed hard.

"You have to take them now. You... you have to take them.”

"This wasn't just a favor to Lois," Babs said dully. "We aren’t just here looking to protect a rookie reporter who got in too deep."

Tim nodded his head slowly.

"How much do you know?" Jason asked, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

"I know... I know your names. You’re Jason Todd, Red Hood. And she’s Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, and... I just... I know enough..." Tim said lamely, having a hard time processing what to say after his brief bout of panic.

"Jesus..." Jason breathed out. "B's not gonna like this."

"Probably not," Tim agreed, numbly gathering up his papers and tucking them back neatly into his box.

"Have you told anyone?" Babs asked, eyes narrowed.

"No," Tim said and swallowed hard, his throat was tight and he was having trouble breathing. "Of course not."

"Yeah, why would a reporter cash in on a story that big?" Jason intoned, his voice and face suddenly a lot more tense.

"Telling people would have been dangerous. I knew that even when I was..."

"How old were you? You couldn't have been more than nine or ten that night with Ivy."

"I was eleven," Tim said. "Just small."

"You knew since you were eleven?"

"I mean... younger. But yeah, I've known a long time."

"And you never told anyone."

"I told Lois I knew. But I just... Figured she knew too so..."

Babs sat down on the floor next to Jason and they both sort of slumped, looking at Tim.

"I think I need a beer..." Jason said, shaking his head.

"God, me too," Tim breathed out. He got to his feet, tucking his lockbox under one arm. He walked into the kitchen and placed it on his counter.

Fishing three beers out of the fridge, Tim popped them open and walked back out into his living room. Babs and Jason were still sitting on the floor. They were going through the pictures together and Tim could see tears forming in the corners of Bab's eyes.

He held out a beer to each of them and Jason grinned up at him.

"I don't care what they say about you," Jason said. "You're not so bad."

Babs laughed at that and got to her feet.

"Ok so... Maybe we bring out the big guns with this one," she suggested.

They got more equipment from their car and went back to wiring up Tim's apartment. Jason worked on his windows while Babs tinkered with his cell phone. Tim perched on a wide window sill in his living room and watched as they worked, the worry and anxiety still tight in his stomach.

People had come into his home. They had come into his home and bugged it. They had listened to the things he said and watched what he did...

Tim felt sick.

What if they had been just a little bit smarter. A little more thorough. What if they had found the photos.

While nothing on the photos indicated who the pictures were of, not with real names anyway, Tim did have some shots of them without their masks and pieces of their uniforms.

When Babs and Jason finished their work, they walked over to Tim. Tim had peeled the label off his warming bottle of beer and he looked up at them worriedly.

"They probably didn't see the pictures, right?"

"Nope. Looks like they didn't find your box," Babs said. "The seal on the envelope wasn't broken and I examined the lock on the box. No sign that someone tried to pick it."

The tense knot of guilt still roiled in Tim's stomach.

"I'm so sorry," Tim said softly.

"It's ok, kid," Jason said, walking over to put a hand on Tim's shoulder. "I'm guessing you never expected to get bugged by the Russian mob."

"You're not wrong..."

"If you're ever worried, I can come sweep for bugs again," Babs offered.

"We're gonna keep the pictures though..." Jason said.

"Yeah, absolutely!"

They explained to him how the security system worked. They showed him the panic button on his phone and gave him a panic phrase that he could say in case he was in danger but couldn’t reach his phone. The phone would automatically alert someone in the Cave that he was in danger. 

"You guys... aren't going to monitor me if I don't ask for help... right?"

"Kid we have much better things to do than listen in on whatever weird thing you've got going on with Rush." Jason said with a grin.

"What makes you think I've got something going on with Rush?" Tim asked, shrewdly.

Babs rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Everyone knows you've got something going on with Rush," she said with an airy wave. 

Jason laughed at that and Tim grimaced.

They both turned serious after that.

“Listen, just be careful, ok? We’ll keep an eye on you and we’ll be there if you need us. But be careful,” Jason said seriously. “That was way more bugs than we expected.”

Tim swallowed hard and nodded.

And then they were gone.

Tim shut his door behind them and padded back into his kitchen and grabbed himself another bottle of beer. He sat on his sofa, in the silence of his too big apartment, thinking of the bugs that had been set there. Thinking about the men that had been in his home.

Thinking about the photos he had given Jason and Babs that he would never see again.

Tim closed his eyes against the tears stinging under his eyelids and swallowed hard, trying to calm his pounding heart.

^*^*^*^*^

The sand was still warm from the late afternoon heat even as the sunset over the ocean. Kon dug his toes into the sand and breathed in deeply, letting the scent of the ocean flood through him. The sky was darkening minute by minute. Red, orange, and yellow beams of light bled into blues and purples as the sun sunk below the ocean and stars started to glint off the water below.

Kon always found the ocean soothing. The sound of the rushing waves and the birds calling to each other. The scent of salt and sand. This ocean lulled Kon into relaxation and this stretch of beach in particular had always been his favorite.

He came here most often with Bart and Cassie. Sitting in the sand and joking, laughing, watching the water lap at the sand.

He had never brought anyone here besides Bart and Cassie... Until now...

Kon watched Tim out of the corner of his eyes.

Tim was sitting next to Kon, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs, pulling them in close to him. He was wearing loose basketball shorts and an old sports t-shirt with the arms torn out. Small freckles were dabbed across his pale shoulders.

Eyes closed, face tilted up just slightly so he could scent the breeze, Tim looked relaxed for the first time since Kon had met him.

His breathing was slow and easy, his muscles relaxed. The worry lines around his eyes had melted away and while the expression on his face wasn't quite a smile, it wasn't stress or anxiety either.

Kon leaned slightly to the side and bumped Tim's shoulder with his own. Their bare skin pressed together for a brief moment and Kon felt a shiver go through him at the feel of it.

"It's beautiful," Tim said, and his voice was soft, almost reverent.

"Yeah," Kon said. "This is my favorite spot. I come here a lot when I need to think."

Tim hummed thoughtfully and rested his chin on his knees, looking out across the ocean.

"What did you need to think about today?" Tim asked.

"I— Today I just needed to think about the ocean and nothing else."

Tim tilted his head to the side to look at Kon curiously.

"I didn't want to think about Luthor. Or the Labs. Or newspapers. Today I just wanted to think about the water and the waves and..."

"And what?" Tim prompted softly.

"And you," Kon said and all at once he felt both daring and absolutely calm.

Tim's face, usually so sharp with keen thought and emotion, was relaxed and happy. As Kon moved in, leaning forward to press their mouths together, Tim leaned in too.

They kissed there, on Kon's beach. Soft lips, salty from the ocean spray, pressed to Kon's. Tim's mouth was so warm and so perfect. Their breath mingled as they kissed again and again and again, losing themselves to the sensation and the sound of waves crashing around them.

Tim pressed his face into Kon's shoulder, the gesture quickly becoming one of Kon's very favorite things. He closed his eyes and breathed out a happy, contented sigh.

"I wish we could stay," Kon said to him softly. "Stay just right here. Forever. Just you and me and the waves."

Tim lifted his head from Kon's shoulder, he met Kon's gaze with brilliant, bright blue eyes. They glittered in the sunset, full of warmth and love, and acceptance.

"Oh Kon," he husked, voice soft and pitched low. "Me too. Me—"

It was Krypto's barks that jolted Kon awake. Suddenly, like a splash of ice-cold water, Kon wasn't on a warm beach anymore. He was in his bed, sheets tangled around his legs as Krypto barked at his front door.

Kon heard a knock coming from the same direction and he scrambled out of bed. Pulling a pair of sweats on over his boxers. Glancing at a clock, he realized it was pushing three in the morning.

They were probably going to wake up half his building.

Kon hushed Krypto as he used his X-ray vision to see who was at his door at this hour.

It was Red Hood and Batgirl. They were out of uniform, just wearing street clothes with baseball caps pulled down low over their eyes.

Furrowing his brow, Kon swore in Kryptonian under his breath as he undid the locks. He ushered them both inside with a glare.

Krypto, for his part, seemed delighted to see them. He rushed up to Red Hood and gave him a sloppy lick in greeting. Red Hood got down on one knee to pet Krypto and tell him what a good boy he was.

Kon turned to Batgirl.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Happened?" she asked, watching Red Hood and Krypto with a big grin. Neither of them seemed tense or upset about anything. Whatever brought them here probably wasn't a crisis.

"You're here. In my home."

"Red just wanted to see if we could steal your dog," she said with a grin.

Krypto let out a disapproving woof at that, abandoning Red Hood to go stand beside Kon. He pressed his head affectionately under Kon's palm and looked pointedly at Red Hood.

"Ok, ok," Red Hood laughed. "I can take a hint. We're here about Drake."

"What about him?" Kon responded, his heart starting to pound in his chest. He tried to both listen to their response and listen for Tim's heartbeat off in Gotham City.

"You know he's gotten himself into some trouble," Batgirl said. "Lois asked us to set him up with some security and I thought maybe you'd want an alert if he hits his panic button or something..."

Kon could make out Tim's heartbeat. Despite it being three in the morning, Tim was tapping at his computer in what sounded like his apartment, his heart rate slow and steady.

Turning his attention back to Batgirl, Kon nodded sharply.

"Yes," he said, firmly. "I want the panic button."

Batgirl asked for his phone and when he gave it to her she fiddled with it for about five minutes while Red Hood tried to coax Krypto back over to him. Krypto was pointedly ignoring him, though.

"He's a good guy, you know," Red Hood said. "Seems to know how to keep a secret really well..."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"He's kept ours for at least a decade," Batgirl said grimly. "The guy's good. And smart."

Kon nodded as Batgirl handed him back his phone. She explained how the button worked and Kon thanked her.

As he walked them to his door Red Hood turned and looked at him with a smile on his face.

"He likes you, you know."

"Tim?"

"Yeah. It's kinda cute."

"How do you know?"

"I was trained by the World's Greatest Detective," Red Hood said. "I just know."

Kon had trouble falling back to sleep after that. A sort of giddiness has settled into his stomach and he tossed and turned the rest of the night, thinking about what Red Hood had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I totally forgot to post this yesterday.
> 
> I was on zoom for like 10 hours straight with back to back meetings and when it was all over I just wanted to sleeeeeeeeeeep.
> 
> Anyway, you all didn't really think I could write a story without Jason and Babs giving Tim shit, did you?


	13. Chapter 13 - Donuts & Lattes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Kon both have uncomfortable conversations.

Conrad stared down at the thumb drive on his desk with a sort of grimly bemused expression on his face. He stood from his chair and leaned over this way and that to look at the thumb drive from all different angles without having to touch it.

"Where did you say this came from."

"A computer from a defunct LexCorp lab."

"And who gave it to you?"

"Someone with intimate knowledge of the work done at LexCorp lab."

"How did they get it out?"

"I—" Tim started and then thought about how to finish it. "My understanding was that LexCorp had a facility that was abandoned. My source checked it out, curious to see if anything had been left behind."

"And?"

"And they found a laptop with these files."

"Was that laptop all they found?"

Tim puffed out a breath and pulled out his phone. He thumbed through several of the pictures Power Girl had sent him before holding one up to Conrad.

"This too," Tim said.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Unclear."

"You think it's been genetically modified too? Like the algae?"

"I think probably."

"We need to do tests."

"Someone is."

"Who?"

"Someone..."

"Tim—"

"I know, I know. I wish I had something else to tell you but my sources are pretty recalcitrant."

Conrad dropped heavily back into his chair and shook his head as he puffed out a sigh.

"Any chance your sources on this wear a cape sometimes?"

"Don't we all wear a cape sometimes?" Tim deflected philosophically.

"Jesus," Conrad hissed, pressing this thumb and forefingers to his eyes and rubbing at them. "I'm calling legal."

Legal asked Tim all the same questions including if he knew where the laptop was now.

"I don't know," Tim said honestly. "I just got the files from it."

"So you at no time took possession of stolen property?" the lawyer asked.

"Nope. Just files."

He sighed and shook his head. "Who did you say your source was again?"

"He didn't and he isn't," Conrad said, glaring a little at the lawyer.

"Will the source go on record for any of this?"

"My source is reluctant to be in the limelight," Tim said. "They're worried about potential repercussions. Luthor is known to be litigious and rumored to be violent."

The lawyer nodded and took a deep breath.

"I'd say you can get to work on this. Let me know if you find anything that could lead to any legal liabilities."

"This whole story is a legal liability," Conrad grumbled.

"Yeah, but those stories are the best ones," the lawyer said, getting to his feet with a smile. "Keep me posted."

After the lawyer left, Conrad agreed to let Tim take one of the tech guys and Sonia to go over the files.

Tim rounded them up and they headed into a conference room. Tim gave them all a brief rundown of what it was that he had found already and what types of documents they would be sifting through.

Two hours into them pouring over documents, Conrad sent him an email asking to meet again.

Tim grabbed a fresh cup of coffee on his way to Conrad’s office. When he got there, not only was Conrad there, but the lawyer from this morning and the head of the legal department were sitting at the chairs in front of Conrad’s desk.

"Uh oh..." Tim said, coming up short and eyeing everyone curiously. "I'm guessing someone got a call from one of Luthor's lawyers..."

"Got it in one," the lawyer from that morning said to him with a grim smile. "How did you guess?"

"A little birdie told me to be ready for it, actually," Tim said grimly.

"What little birdie?" the head of the legal department asked him.

"Lois Lane actually. I asked for her advice about the guys following me and—"

"Wait, wait, wait," the head of the legal department said, waving his hands. "Back up. Someone is following you?"

"Several someones. For about a week and a half now," Tim said.

"Have they said anything to you?" the other lawyer said, this time looking more concerned.

"Nope, they're just sort of... Following me... From home to work, from work to wherever."

The two lawyers eyed each other nervously.

"Luthor's lawyers called today to remind us that his employees are under a strict NDA and that encouraging anyone with an NDA to talk on the record could have potentially problematic repercussions for those folks."

"Everyone I talked to was past the timeline for their NDA," Tim said. "They're all on record and willing to attest to that."

The two lawyers eyed each other again.

"We're going to need to look at those agreements," the head of the legal department said.

"I can probably swing that..."

"Luthor's lawyers," Conrad cut in. "They only asked about the employees. Nothing else?"

"Is there something else?" the head of the legal department asked.

"Tim received some files this morning," the other lawyer said to his boss. "From someone with a close association with LexCorp."

The head of the legal department looked at Tim sharply.

"What about his NDA?" he asked. "And where did he get the files."

"He's not under an NDA," Tim said smoothly. "And the files came from an old LexCorp facility that had been sold back to the bank."

"How is he not under an NDA? All of Luthor's people are under NDAs."

Tim didn't know how to answer that, so he didn't.

The head of the legal department sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Is this story you're working on going to give me an ulcer?"

"Probably," Tim said.

"It's already giving me one," Conrad put in.

The head of legal looked at Tim seriously and consideringly for one long moment.

"Are you afraid?" he asked. "Of the men following you."

Tim thought about that for a minute before answering.

"I was at first," Tim said. "But Lois Lane pointed out that if they were going to hurt me, they wouldn't have let me see them. And that they're probably just trying to scare me off at this point."

"From what I've heard over the years," Conrad put in, "that's Luthor's playbook. Try to scare the reporter off, then try to scare the paper off, then just sue."

"Great," the head of the legal department said. "High priced lawyers. Something to look forward to."

"For what it's worth..." Tim said hesitantly. "All of this... It's pretty bad. Luthor's performing unauthorized experiments on living beings and the fallout is impacting the local environment in ways we can't predict or control. This could get a lot bigger a lot faster."

The lawyers headed out then to plan their attack, leaving Tim alone with Conrad.

"This is worse isn't it?" Conrad asked grimly. "Than the animals."

"Yeah..." Tim confirmed.

"But you only have the animals?"

"I only have the animals."

"How do you get the rest?"

"I'm not sure yet," Tim said.

"Then let's do the most with what we've got," Conrad said. "Now, get back to work."

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Kon stared at the app on his phone with a grimace.

The job was dog walking and Kon usually liked walking dogs but...

Kon was feeling exhausted and he really didn't feel like doing any more work that day. He needed groceries, rent was due in a week and he really needed a new pair of jeans but...

Thumbing the app closed, Kon shook his head and started back towards his apartment. Walking quickly, Kon checked his bank balance and did a little math. He could probably afford another day or two without working before he would seriously need some cash.

As he walked a text came through from Kal.

*You home?*

*Soon. What's up?*

*Ma sent me home with a huge batch of homemade doughnuts but Lois is traveling this week and Jon is visiting friends. Want some?*

*Absolutely. Be home in five.*

Kal was already in his house, petting Krypto, by the time Kon got home. Kon kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat as he called out a hello.

"Doughnuts are in the kitchen," Kal said, standing with a smile.

Kon could smell them even before he opened the box. They smelled sweet and spicy, Kon pulled one out and took a big bite.

Delicious.

"Want one?" Kon asked, holding the box out to Kal.

Kal waved him off with a shake of his head.

"I ate about four before I came over. Actually, I brought them to you hoping to save me from myself."

Kon grinned at him and took another bite.

"Happy to help," Kon said, polishing off the doughnut.

"How was work today?" Kal asked. "Get any interesting jobs?"

Kon shook his head and shut the donut box.

"Not really. I didn't get a lot done today..."

Kal nodded thoughtfully and kept his face carefully neutral as he spoke.

"Have you considered maybe trying something more permanent?" Kal asked for what was probably the millionth time. "A regular income would take some pressure off of you."

"I'm fine," Kon insisted. "I don't mind doing the gig work. It's flexible and I don't need to worry about being anywhere at a certain time."

"Not much in the way of career advancement," Kal said not meeting Kon’s eyes.

"Kal, can we not with this right now?" Kon asked, puffing out a sigh.

"I just... I worry about you sometimes," Kal said.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was pressed in a concerned thin line.

"I know, I get it. I just... I'm fine. Really."

The silence stretched out between the two of them. Krypto padded into the kitchen and looked up at Kal expectantly until he started rubbing at Krypto's ears.

"Did you want a beer or something?" Kon asked, walking over to the fridge and eyeing the contents.

It was mostly empty. There were still two containers of chili left from his dinner night with Bart and half a six-pack left. Kon reached in and grabbed one of the beers, turning to look expectantly at Kal.

"Yeah, I'll have one," Kal said.

Kon grabbed two beers and shut the fridge. He popped open the tops and handed one to Kal.

"Jev," Kon said, tapping the neck of his beer bottle to Kal’s. It was the Kryptonian toast to happiness and joy.

"Jev," Kal repeated back

"I talked with Karen today," Kal said, taking a sip of his beer.

"She told you about the creature? The labs?"

"Yes. She said she thought this thing with Luthor was getting to you a little."

"I won't lie to you," Kon said. "It hasn't been the easiest thing I've ever worked on."

"Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine. I think... I think this might be good for me," Kon said slowly.

"And this thing with Drake?" Kal asked. "I know you trust him, but..."

"I think... I think I like the idea of making this official. Making a splash. Front pages and news alerts."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I think so... I get why you do the reporter thing on the side. Showing the world what he did? I get the appeal."

"On the side..."

"Most of what I do, what we do... It all feels like no one sees it but Maggie Sawyer and the police. The public is shielded so much from it and this time..."

"You want to show everyone what he's done..."

"I really do. I've been so scared of him for so long... I just..."

"Want some power back?"

"Something— Something like that. Plus..."

Kal took a sip from his beer and eyed Kon curiously.

"Plus?"

"Tim seems really invested in this. He's working so hard and... I want to help him."

"He's a good journalist but..."

"But what?"

"A good journalist knows not to get personally involved in his stories."

"Just like Lois never got personally involved with Superman?" Kon shot back before he had a chance to think about what he was saying.

Kal gave him a grimly wry sort of look.

"Sorry..." Kon muttered. "That was a little out of line."

"I mean... You're not wrong but it doesn't feel great to hear when I'm just..."

"You're just what?"

Kal puffed out a sigh and rubbed absently at Krypto's ears.

"I'm just worried about you."

"Yeah... I get it..."

"So..." Kal said, hesitantly, not looking at Kon as he spoke. "What is going on with you and Tim."

"I'm helping him with the story."

"And?"

"And that's it."

"Ok, that is factually what's going on. What about... emotionally..."

"What do you mean?"

Kal looked up at Kon and his eyes were deep with sympathy and understanding.

"I mean how are you feeling about this? About Tim? I know you don't generally trust humans. Ma aside, you were slow to warm up to Lois and you don't even talk to any other humans. Now there's Tim and you seem to like and trust him a lot. And that seems like it happened quickly."

"I do trust him."

"Is that all it is? Like and trust?"

Kon puffed out a sigh and took a long swallow of his beer,

"I don't... It's hard to..."

Kon trailed off and took another sip of beer, swallowing hard around the foam in his mouth.

"You're not sure?"

"It's still... I'm trying to... figure it out."

Kal nodded his head and took a swallow of beer. He gazed thoughtfully across Kon's barren kitchen.

"I know you don't want to talk to me about this. I get that. This is new for you and you're trying to figure it all out. I just want to say... Be honest with him. About everything. Maybe not your name but where you're coming from and what you feel. Tell him what scares you and what you need from him. Be honest about all of it."

"I— Yeah. Ok," Kon said, feeling his throat get tight.

Kal walked over to him and put a hand on Kon's shoulder. He waited until Kon looked him in the eye before he nodded.

"I'm not saying this is a bad idea. I think it could be good for you to be spending more time with him. I just want you to be sure you're being honest with him."

Kon took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I get that. I wouldn't be fair to him to lie."

"It wouldn't be fair to either of you," Kal said. "And it's not him I'm worried about."

Krypto whined and nudged his way between them, looking up at Kon with a whimper.

Kon smiled down at him and pet the top of his head.

"Were you honest? With Lois?"

"Not in the way I should have been. Not at first. Things could have gone badly between us so easily, but we worked it out."

"Because you two loved each other?"

"Mostly because she could see through me," Kal said with a wry smile. "Dating an investigative reporter can be dangerous that way."

"Yeah, I guess I could see that."

Kal huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

"She always keeps me on my toes. She always seems to know what I'm thinking before I do."

"Do you worry about her? When she's working on a story?"

"All of the time," Kal said.

"How do you... What do you do?"

"I let her live her life. She chose this job knowing that it was dangerous. I think that was part of the appeal to her. She likes to know she's being brave. She likes to know she's making a change."

"And when people threaten her?"

Kal hesitated before answering.

"Not many people bother threatening her anymore..."

"Because you talked with most of them?"

Kal gave Kon a wry smile and shook his head.

"I'll never tell," Kal said.

Kon gave him a look and Kal grinned at him.

"It helps that they know I've got her back now," Kal said simply.

"You still worry about her though?"

"All the time."

"How do you deal with it?"

"Same way I deal with worrying about you. I trust you to keep yourself safe and to let me know when you need help."

Kon nodded thoughtfully.

They sat down at the bar in Kon's kitchen as they finished their beers. Kal said goodnight after that.

Kon ate the rest of the doughnuts for dinner and headed to bed early, feeling more tired than he had in a long time. Between dealing with people during work today and then talking to Kal about... everything, Kon was exhausted.

He drifted off sleep with a low-grade worry about Tim persistently hovering in the back of his mind...

^*^*^*^

The videos they found were the worst part.

In the videos, animals were restrained but not sedated. They let out low whines and high-pitched cries as they were injected, prodded, cut, and abused.

It was...

Tim pushed away from the conference room table he was sitting at with Sonia. His stomach felt queasy and he shut his laptop forcefully as he got to his feet.

"I need some air," Tim said, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah... I get that," Sonia said.

When Tim looked down at her, her olive skin was tinged green and there was tension around her mouth.

"I'm going to take a walk," Tim told her.

Sonia nodded and got to her feet as well.

"I have a meeting with another reporter in a few minutes," Sonia said. "I'll meet you back here in an hour."

"Yeah," Tim agreed. "Did you want something from the coffee shop down the street?"

"Maybe some tea?" she suggested.

"Mint?"

"Couldn't hurt..."

Tim nodded and they headed off, her upstairs to meet with the other reporter, and him down to the lobby.

Tim shook his head as he walked out of the elevators and out through the lobby. Tim had rushed outside, forgetting to grab his coat before he left. The cold air hit him like a wall and Tim fought down a shiver as he walked quickly down the street to his favorite coffee shop.

The videos had been bad but that wasn't what was getting to Tim. He saw what they did to the animals in those labs. All it did was make Tim wonder, picture, imagine, what they had done to Rush when it had been him on that table.

His mouth starting to water as bile roiled in his stomach, Tim swallowed hard and picked up his pace.

He was waiting at the street corner for the crosswalk light to change when a large stretch limousine pulled up the curb next to him. A dark, tinted window rolled down and Lex Luthor looked up at him from inside.

"You look cold. Want a ride?"

"Coffee shop's across the street," Tim said neutrally, tilting his head in the shops' direction. "I'm good."

"Are you?" Luthor asked in a deep tone of voice.

Luthor's suit was expensive and neatly pressed. His face was carefully schooled to look inviting and nonthreatening.

"Why wouldn't I be, Mr. Luthor?" Tim asked, trying to sound guileless.

Luthor smiled at him and while Tim knew that the smile was meant to be inviting and reassuring, it just looked ominous to him.

"I know a place a few blocks from here. The coffee is much better," Luthor said. "I'll give you a ride."

"Ahhh, but this place has oatmilk lattes," Tim said in his best innocent tone of voice. "You know how we young people love our oatmilk and avocado toast. Thanks, though."

"Get in the car, Mr. Drake."

"Sorry, no."

"I know you're talking to my former employees, Mr. Drake."

Tim tried to look innocent.

"Not at all. I'm just interviewing potential new members to my Wizards and Warlocks game."

"We're both too smart for this type of prevarication."

"Oh?"

"I knew your mother. She was brilliant."

Tim... didn't know what to say to that.

"You look a lot like her. More than I expected you to."

Tim still didn't know what to say to that. So he said nothing.

"Your mother would want what's best for you."

"Mr. Luthor, I'm—"

"Lex, please."

"I'd prefer to keep it at Mr. Luthor."

"We don't need to be so formal with each other."

"We do, though."

"Maybe if we had some time to chat..."

The light had changed and Tim gave Luthor an airy wave before taking off across the street.

Tim's heart was pounding in his chest, and he could see Luthor's driver/bodyguard watching him carefully through the windshield as he crossed the street in front of the limo. Tim wasn't actually sure that she wasn't going to gun the car and run him over until he had pushed the door of the coffee shop open and stepped inside.

Tim breathed out a sigh as he watched the limo pull back into traffic and drive off.

When his heart rate finally returned to normal and he could think straight again, Tim did get an oatmilk latte, more out of a strong sense of millennial rebellion than because he liked oatmilk. He also got a large mint tea for Sonia. Eyeing the cars around him warily as he walked, Tim headed back to the office. Instead of going back to the conference room, Tim headed right for Conrad’s office.

He didn't even bother to knock, just slumped into the seat in front of Lyle's desk.

"You don't look so good."

"Luthor just tried to buy me a coffee..."

"And you let him buy you two?" Lyle asked, nodding at the two cups in Tim's hands.

Tim shook his head and put Sonia's tea down on Lyle's desk.

"Nope, I bought those. I told him no..."

"What all did he say?"

"He asked me if I was good."

"What?"

Tim explained to Conrad what had happened and what exactly Luthor had said. Conrad leaned back in his chair and watched Tim consideringly.

"He's just trying to throw you off. Give you a little scare," Conrad said finally.

"I know..."

"Is it working?"

Tim huffed out a sigh and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at his editor.

"Are we sure his bodyguard is not a serial killer?” Tim asked.

"No, absolutely not."

"Great..."

Conrad huffed out a sigh and shook his head.

"So he's escalating."

"He brought up my mother."

"Yeah, you said..."

"He brought up my mother."

"That bothers you a lot?"

"More than I ever thought it would..."

"What did you want to do?"

"Call the lawyers, tell them what happened, then..."

"Get back to work?"

"Exactly."

“Good boy.”

The lawyers were not happy to hear about what had happened. They suggested that next time Tim simply tell Luthor he wasn't at liberty to discuss ongoing projects. Tim agreed and headed back downstairs to the conference room he and Sonia had set up.

She was looking at the laptop they had been working off of, askance. Tim handed her the cup of tea and she took it gratefully, Taking a long sip she grimaced.

"It's cold."

"Not surprising..." Tim said, taking a sip of his now-cold latte.

"Where were you?"

"Talking with legal."

"Jeez, better you than me. You are absolutely forgiven for the cold tea."

Tim nodded back at the laptop then turned to face Sonia.

"Ready to get back to work?"

"Absolutely not," she said with a grimace. "But let's do this..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be clear, I think oatmilk lattes are excellent. Yes, I am an urban, east-coast millennial. No, I'm not sorry.
> 
> But yeah, guess who will NOT respond well to Lex trying to bully Tim?
> 
> Brace yourself for the climax, my dudes.


	14. Chapter 14 - Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon is protective and Tim has some nightmares.

Kon woke up the next morning more tired than when he had gone to sleep. Krypto was curled up against his side, making soft, happy noises in his sleep.

At least someone was having good dreams.

Kon had spent the night pin-balling from one nightmare to another until everything melted into a pervasive sense of dread he couldn’t seem to escape. When dawn finally broke, Kon felt exhausted and a little queasy.

Fumbling for his phone, Kon checked his notifications. There were a couple of texts from Bart, two from Kal, an email from Cassie, and a few texts from Tim.

Kon pulled up Tim's messages first.

*Today was weird... Got a few things to update you on. Let me know when you're free to chat.*

Kon texted him back right away.

*I'm free this morning. You have time before work?*

Tim's message came back right away.

*Already at work but I can slip away. Meet me at our spot in Robinson Park?*

Kon felt his stomach get warm at the idea that he and Tim had 'a spot' at Robinson Park.

*Be here in half an hour.* Kon texted back.

*Perfect.*

Kon levered himself out of bed, hopped into the shower. Scrubbing off quickly, Kon got dressed as fast as he could. He poured Krypto a bowl of kibble but didn't bother with breakfast for himself.

He headed out the door and made his way up and into the sky as quickly as he could. He flew fast, letting the clouds and chill breeze rush past him. He got to Robinson Park ten minutes early and Tim hadn't arrived yet.

Kon leaned back against a tree and took in the park. It was overgrown, filled with thick vines that wrapped around the trees and fences. The paving stones that made up the paths were uneven and broken in spots where roots had lifted and split them.

The area looked overgrown and wild but there were large sections that were burnt out. Several downed tree branches were laying across the path. The spot where Kon stood was so thick with foliage that visibility was limited.

Kon could hear Tim's soft, even footsteps as he walked down the path towards Kon. He picked his way over a large downed tree and stumbled as he tripped over it. Shooting Kon a wry smile, Tim walked over to him.

"Hey," Tim said. "Any chance you want to fly us somewhere a little more... hard to access?"

"Harder to access than this?" Kon asked, nodding his head toward all the downed trees.

Tim smiled at him tiredly.

"Believe it or not, yes..."

Kon held out his arms and Tim stepped into them. They pressed against each other and Tim wrapped his arms around Kon's neck. Kon grabbed Tim by the waist and kicked up into the air.

He could hear Tim's sharp intake of breath as they made their way up in the air, through the tops of the trees in the park.

"Where to? Gotham isn't exactly my home turf..."

"Ummm, hang a left," Tim instructed. "You'll see that tall, golden building off to your right."

"Wayne Tower?" Kon asked.

"That's the one."

Kon flew them out towards the tower and set them down on the roof.

Tim let out a deep breath and took a step back and away from Kon.

"Want to talk me through why we're chatting here and not in the park?" Kon asked.

"I... Well... I've noticed for the past few weeks that... Someone is following me..."

Kon felt his stomach clench and his heart rate pick up.

"Following?" he asked, hollowly.

"Yeah, and then yesterday Luthor tried to roll over on me and—"

"Wait, Luthor?"

"He stopped me in the street yesterday and—"

"He stopped you in the street?"

Kon didn't even realize he was moving until he had Tim's shoulders in his hands. He was gripping them firmly and Tim tilted his head at Kon with a concerned expression.

"He wanted me to go for a drive with him..."

"You didn't right? You really should stay away from him. He's... He's dangerous. Very dangerous..."

"No, I didn't," Tim said in a soft, reassuring tone of voice. He lifted one hand to pat Kon's and gave him a slow and hesitant smile. "Regardless, I wouldn't have spoken with him. Not until we were ready to seek official comment on the story."

"He... Would he have known that?"

"Given how many times he's tangled with Lois Lane? Yeah, I'd say he's very familiar with this particular journalistic process."

"But he came to talk to you anyway?"

Tim shrugged and his smile turned wry.

"Yeah, but I'm thinking he's a lot less scared of me than he is of Lois Lane. My guess is that he figured I was a rookie and he could intimidate me into not writing the story."

"You're still going to, right? Write the story, I mean?

"Absolutely. I told the lawyer at the Gazette what happened and they know about the guys who have been following me home."

"They're following you home?" Kon asked, hearing his voice going higher but not able to do anything to control it.

"Yeah, I mean they're following me almost everywhere unless I try to lose them..."

"Rao," Kon hissed out, rubbing a hand over his face.

He felt hot all over, angry and scared all at the same time. This wasn't just Luthor hurting him, this wasn't just Luthor hurting those animals. It was Luthor trying to cover it all up by hurting Tim, who was just trying to do his job. Just trying to help Kon and those animals…

Tim was working hard to do what was right and Luthor was trying to frighten him. Scare Tim the way he had scared Kon and so many others.

"Row?" Tim asked, looking up at Kon with an eyebrow lifted in inquiry.

"What?"

"You said row?"

"Oh I— 'Rao' I said 'Rao'," Kon clarified.

"Another Kryptonian word?" Tim asked, looking interested.

Kon huffed out a short laugh and nodded his head.

"More like a name..." Kon explained. "Rao is a figure in Kryptonian mythology. He was there at the creation of the universe."

"Kryptonian mythology?" Tim asked, his voice tinged with excitement. "Man, I wish there was a book I could read on that."

"I... have some texts..." Kon said.

Tim smiled up at him.

"Are all of those texts written in Kryptonian?"

"I could... translate..."

"Storytime? You could read me to sleep?" Tim teased, stepping in close and smiling up at Kon.

"I— I could..."

"I think I might have a hard time sleeping with you that close," Tim said, stepping in until their chests were almost touching.

Kon felt his face flush and he swallowed hard.

Tim was standing very, very close. His pale cheeks were pink from the cool air and his eyelashes were so thick. They rimmed his bright, brilliant blue eyes. His mouth was full and turned up into a smile. His lips looked soft and warm and—

"Rush?" Tim said, in a soft tentative tone of voice.

Kon met his eyes and felt his stomach lurch. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest and he swallowed around a suddenly dry mouth.

"I—" Kon started. "I think..."

"You know, that might be our problem here..." Tim said, his voice pitched low.

"What?"

"It might be better if we just stopped thinking..."

"Think— Thinking...?"

"Yeah," Tim husked and rocked up on his toes.

He wrapped his arms around Kon's neck, cold fingers brushing against Kon's over-warm skin. He pressed his mouth, his soft, warm mouth, against Kon's in a firm but gentle kiss.

Kon felt his stomach drop out. The breath caught in his lungs and arms wrapped instinctively around Tim's slender waist.

Tim nuzzled deeper into the kiss and when he parted his mouth to run his tongue along Kon's lower lip, Kon couldn't help but gasp.

Tim pulled back, pressing his nose against Kon's, keeping their mouths close he whispered to Kon.

"Tell me... Tell me this is ok. Tell me you want this," Tim said, his blue eyes beautiful and uncertain.

"Yes, please yes," Kon husked and the uncertainty in Tim's expression melted away into a smile and he pressed another kiss to Kon's mouth.

This time, Kon kissed back. Following Tim's lead as he nipped and sucked at Tim's lower lip. Tim gasped into the kiss and nuzzled his way to Kon's jawline and then down to his ear. Pressing a soft kiss on the sensitive skin of Kon's neck, Kon couldn't fight down a gasp.

"Shisir," he hissed and pulled Tim in closer, pressing his body fully against Kon's in a way that made them both shiver.

"Is that the Kryptonian word for 'more'?" Tim asked with a breathless gasp.

"It's... uh... It's a swear word," Kon admitted with a wry grin of his own.

"Ohhhh, I like the sound of that," Tim husked.

Kon couldn't help but laugh then, shaking his head as he looked down at Tim. They were both breathless, holding each other tight as a chill wind swirled around them.

They locked eyes and Kon could see the playful expression on Tim's face melt into something deeper, more serious.

"I liked that," Kon admitted slowly. "I liked that a lot."

"So did I," Tim said. "Maybe too much."

Kon felt a thrill shoot through him at that.

He had never... 

Kon had never kissed anyone quite like that before. He had tried kissing people in the past but…. 

It never felt like this, before. He never knew what it was like to want someone and have that person want him back. The idea of Tim feeling for him what he was feeling for Tim...

It was heady. Kon almost felt dizzy with it.

He wondered... 

He wondered if Tim thought about him too, the way Kon thought about Tim. He wondered if Tim imagined touching him, kissing him, running his hands along Kon's body and...

"You can't... You can't like it too much. I want you to. I want it to be the only thing you can think of. I want it to be—" Kon broke off and shook his head, his throat thick with all of the things he just didn't know how to say.

Tim was watching him with wide, serious eyes. His face was still flushed and his lips were thick and swollen from where Kon had nipped at them earlier.

"Sometimes... Sometimes it is the only thing I can think of..." Tim admitted in a soft husk.

Kon felt a sharp buzz of arousal shoot through him, coiling deep at the base of his spine making his heartache and his cock twitch.

"When this is over... When it's all over tell me we can... That this is something we can do," Tim said haltingly. "Tell me it won't be over after this."

"No," Kon hissed, tugging Tim back tight against him. "It won't be. When this is all over... When it's all over then maybe we can have time and space for this..."

Tim nodded and swallowed hard. Kon could hear Tim's heart pounding in his chest, the sharp scent of Tim's sweat rising up between them.

"I should... We should go..." Tim said finally. "I need to finish this story."

Kon swallowed hard and nodded.

He took Tim back into his arms and flew them back to the park. When he touched down Tim was obviously reluctant to let him go.

"When... When will I see you again?" Kon asked, haltingly.

"What's the Kryptonian word for soon?" Tim asked, slyly.

"Finud," Kon said, speaking slowly so Tim could catch all the syllables.

"Finud, then," Tim said firmly and Kon watched as he walked back through the park and disappeared into the greenery around them.

Kon watched the spot where Tim had vanished for a few long moments before kicking up off into the sky.

He flew back to Metropolis a bit too fast, the air rushing past his ears. His heart was still pounding and his stomach was in knots as he thought about Tim and that kiss.

A wave of pure energy shot through him and Kon pushed up higher into the sky, up through the atmosphere, and into the mesosphere. He flew up above the clouds, up into the chill, barren brightness of the atmosphere, reveling in the sun and the freedom and...

Breathless, Kon turned flips and somersaults before plummeting back to earth with a whoop. Flying over fields and lakes, Kon let his fingers brush over chilly water the tips of crops.

When he finally got back to Metropolis proper, Kon paused in midair to take in the skyline of his city. The sun was sinking into a pink and orange glow, light beams dancing over the glass windows of the skyscrapers that jutted up into the air.

The buildings were beautiful, tall, and magnificent. City Hall, the Centennial Hotel, Metropolis City Hospital and...

LexCorp Towers...

Kon felt his face twist into a grimace as he eyed Luthor's buildings.

This whole thing with the animals and the gene manipulation wasn't just about Kon's sense of right and wrong anymore. It wasn't just about showing Luthor he wasn't afraid.

Now it was about keeping Tim safe, protected from Luthor and his goons.

He had to show Luthor that he wasn't going to get away with this. He wasn't going to be able to scare Tim and keep him from publishing. He wasn't going to be able to walk all over the scientific community, the press, and the citizens of Metropolis.

Kon huffed out a sigh and took off back towards his apartment. Swallowing hard, Kon considered all the different ways he could confront Luthor.

But he would need some help.

Feeling resolve solidify in his mind, Kon headed back towards home to call Karen.

Maybe after she had done a little more research on the body they had found, she would be able to give Kon some tips on what he should look out for and what he needed to be prepared to confront. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

This video was as grainy as all the rest. The focus wasn’t quite right and the framing of the video was off-center. It was up too high, a little too far off to the left of the activity. The people in the video were crowded into the left-hand side of the frame while the right-hand side was largely a view of a long white wall with a bench of instruments.

Leaning over, closer to the screen, Tim squinted at the laptop in front of him. He was sitting in a cramped conference room in the Gazette, the scent of stale coffee and old fetid carpet hung in the air.

Tim rubbed at his tired eyes. Reaching for his mug, Tim gulped down a mouthful of coffee, barely tasting it as he watched the screen intently.

The video started mid-action, there was a group of men in lab coats leaning over the table like bright white vultures hunched over roadkill. Tim could see them moving, arms milling and shoulders leaning further in and out as they worked.

Tim couldn't make out what was on the table. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, frankly. He had already seen too many vivisected monkeys and rabbits in the past two days. His stomach roiled with nausea and his head ached from spending too much time in front of the screen.

He wasn't sure how many more of these videos he could slog through. Sonia had left hours ago, the office was dead silent. There was, blessedly, no sound to the videos. Tim wasn't sure he would have been able to deal with hearing those animals crying and screaming.

Tim braced one elbow on the table in front of the laptop and rested his chin in his palm. He took a deep steadying breath as he blinked the screen back into focus.

One of the scientists had pulled back away from the table. The scientist was holding several vials of blood, the bright red contents standing out in stark contrast to the white sleeve of his lab coat. He stepped out of frame and as he did, two of the other scientists moved aside.

Then Tim realized with a sudden sinking dread that it wasn't an animal strapped to that table. It was a human.

Tim's mouth went dry when he caught sight of what looked like a human arm and part of a torso. Thick black bands wrapped around the man's forearms. Bright red cuts crisscrossed the too-pale skin, stitched over thickly with black threads.

Nausea roiled in Tim's stomach, wincing as he watched another scientist sink a large needle into his arm.

"Jesus Christ," Tim whispered to himself.

He reached out his hand unconsciously trying to help the man on the screen. Tim's mind raced and he wondered dimly if the man on the table was still alive.

Suddenly all of the scientists looked up from what they were working on, then, almost in unison, they stepped back away from the table as another figure stepped into the frame.

Lex Luthor, wearing a pristine khaki suit stepped over to the side of the table looking down at the man strapped there. The man strained at the restraints, rocking his head side to side again and again and that was when Tim realized...

It was Rush.

Rush was strapped to that table. He was hurt and bleeding, covered in cuts and scars and bruises. The pain he was experiencing was clear on his face. His mouth was opened as he let out silent cries and as Tim watched, Luthor examined a tray full of awful-looking instruments. With a latex-gloved hand, he selected something long and serrated from the tray.

It looked huge, long, and vicious. The metal of the instrument was tinged slightly green and with a shudder, Tim realized it must have been crafted with Kryptonite. 

Tim stopped breathing as Luthor leaned back over Rush. His stomach clenched as Rush's mouth opened in another silent shout. Luthor’s back blocked the view of what he was doing, but Rush's face twisted in pain and Tim felt tears prick in his eyes.

He reached his hand out to the screen again just as...

Tim jolted awake, his skin slick with sweat. His heart was pounding and his breath was coming fast in his lungs. Tears still pricked at his eyes and Tim wiped them away as he blindly reached for his phone.

He thumbed it open, swallowing hard as he pulled up Rush's number. So far they had only texted but...

Tim hit the call button with barely a conscious thought.

The phone rang twice before Rush answered.

"Are you ok?" Rush asked immediately upon answering. "What time is it?"

Tim glanced at the clock on his phone. It was four in the morning. Tim had only gone to sleep a few hours before but after that dream.

Tim wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep.

"Ummmm, very early. Or very late... Maybe both..."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just... I'm... I'm fine."

"Did something happen?"

"No... I just... I guess these videos, you know from the files you gave me... They got into my head. They're just so..."

"Rough?"

Tim huffed out a bitter laugh.

"That is putting it very mildly..."

"Are you ok?"

"I don't even know anymore... No... Yeah. I'm fine. I just... I think I just needed to hear your voice... For a second..."

Rush was silent on the other end of the line and Tim grimaced, realizing how absolutely idiotic he was being.

"Jeez, that was..."

"I get it," Rush interrupted him, his voice sounding a little thick to Tim. "I get how you feel. I get that way too sometimes and I... Just... You can always call."

"I mean calling your phone at four am isn't exactly a cool guy thing to do."

"Not my phone. You can just call for me. Say my name. Say that you need to see me. I'll... I can hear you. I can... I can hear when you say my name. I'll come. If you need me... I can always come..."

Tim felt his heart pounding and his mouth was dry. There was a dull buzzing in his ears and when he spoke next, he spoke without thought.

"Rush..."

"Yeah..."

"Can you..."

"I— I'll be right there."

The line went dead and Tim fell back into bed, rubbing his hands over his face and trying to even out his breathing. He hadn't gotten it under control by the time there was a light knock at his window.

Tim stumbled out of bed and pulled it open. Rush slipped inside and Tim closed the window behind him.

The street lights below lightly illuminated Rush's intent and serious face and, just for a moment, in his mind's eye, Tim could see the same flash of vivid pain that had broken across that face in his dream. Tim swallowed hard and threw his arms around Rush, hugging him close.

"I know this is stupid," Tim said, his words muffled by Rush's shoulder. "I know it's stupid but I'm just so glad you're ok."

Rush made low soothing noises and ran a warm soft hand up and down Tim's spine.

"We're both ok," Rush said, his voice low and hushed. "Everyone is safe."

"For now," Tim said bitterly. "This whole thing has been..."

Tim puffed out a frustrated breath and shook his head, rubbing his face into Rush's shoulder.

"Terrifying?" Rush offered.

"I mean that, and deeply frustrating. And horrific... I honestly can't wait to hit publish on this story. I just want it all out because when this is public he can't go after us anymore. He's lost all leverage."

"When do you publish?" Rush asked.

Tim took another deep breath and shook his head.

"We're giving Luthor time to comment," Tim said bitterly. "Not that he could say anything that would refute or make up for what's in those videos..."

"The videos are the tip of the iceberg, frankly."

"Yeah..." Tim said and tilted his head back to look up at Rush. "That's what keeps me up at night..."

Rush looked down at him with a deep, knowing expression on his face.

"Do you think... Will he go to jail?" Rush asked, hesitantly.

"Honestly, no. Not with what we have, now. Even if there are charges, he’ll fight them in court and then appeal every verdict. Maybe he’ll end up with some fines or scapegoat someone lower level. He might get some research shut down. More scrutiny, maybe. But the public outrage will be real and he'll be under scrutiny which should make it harder for him to operate. He’ll tell a lot of lies but..."

Rush said something Kryptonian and Tim pressed his lips together. He lifted an eyebrow up at Rush who smiled down at him wryly.

"A Kryptonian idiom," he explained. "Roughly translated, it means 'who listens to scientists, anyway'?"

Tim huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

"Apocryphal..." Tim said.

"You have no idea..."

They smiled at each other for a long moment until Rush's smile turned wry and shy.

"Hey, I'm glad you're ok, Rush," Tim said slowly, he reached a hand up to cup Rush's cheek gently with one hand.

"It's not me you should be worried about," Rush said, reaching up his own hand to place it over Tim's. "You're the one he's threatening, following..."

"Yeah, but I'm a member of the press," Tim said. "I'm afforded certain protections. You on the other hand..."

"I'll be fine," Rush repeated softly, dropping his hand back to his side. "Really."

Tim pulled his hand back from Rush's cheek before taking a deep breath and pressing his face back into Rush's shoulder. Rush smelled like clean laundry and the sky.

Tim couldn't help but wonder if that was what hope smelled like.

Rush rubbed a hand up and down Tim's back soothingly. His palms felt big and warm against Tim's bareback.

"I know," Tim said, tilting his head up and smiling at Rush. "I'm sorry for dragging you out here in the middle of the night."

"I don't mind," Rush said, his voice low and soft. "I... I like seeing you. Even if it's late."

Tim felt his smile widen and he rocked up on his tiptoes to press a kiss to the corner of Rush's mouth.

"I like seeing you too..." he whispered against the stubbled skin of Rush’s jawline.

Rush hummed and cupped Tim's jaw, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. His mouth was firm and warm, he tasted like sunshine and the wind. When their kiss broke, Rush panted hotly against Tim's mouth.

"I... I like it when we do that..." Rush said.

"Ohhhh Rush, I do too," Tim husked.

Rush tensed and looked away from him. Tim felt his muscles go hard and tight under his palms.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked, lifting a hand to turn Rush's face back to his.

"I just... Rush is my... code name."

"I know... I understand that maybe you can’t—”

"It's— It's Kon. Kon-el."

"Kon-el? That's Kryptonian too?"

"Yes, it is."

"Does it... What does it mean?"

"It means gift. Gift to the House of El."

Tim smiled up at him.

"Fits you perfectly," Tim said.

Kon smiled down at him and pressed another soft kiss to the side of Tim’s mouth.

"Thanks..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart is with all of you spending your holidays alone this year. I'm sad and lonely too, but we're keeping our families safe and that's what's important!
> 
> I hope my writing brings you some small happiness and solace. 
> 
> I'm gonna go write some fluff to try and cheer myself up~~


	15. Chapter 15 - Corner Offices & Cocktails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kon goes into Mama Bear mode and Tim needs a cocktail.

A large, top floor office with three walls made entirely of high glass windows seemed like an odd choice for a man as paranoid as Lex Luthor. Kon guessed it probably had something to do with human status signaling.

Hovering above LexCorp Tower, Kon looked down into the office below. It was empty right now, a sheaf of papers was tucked neatly into one corner of Luthor's desk, a dock for a laptop was left empty. Though a cooling cup of coffee sitting on a coaster near where Luthor's right hand would rest signaled that Luthor's absence was only temporary.

Kon took a deep breath, feeling a nervous tickle in his stomach as he hesitated momentarily. Then he thought about that morning. He thought about how Tim had looked, asleep with his head tucked gently on Kon's shoulder. His brilliant blue eyes shut, his face relaxed, and his normally tense body tucked neatly along Kon's on the sofa in Tim’s living room.

A fierce wave of protectiveness roiled through Kon and he took off, moving deliberately fast. Faster than a human eye could track. The windows that lined the walls of Luthor's office weren't designed to open. Kon cut a hole in one with his heat vision and flew inside.

The thick scent of melted glass was whisked away by the chilly breeze that followed him inside the building. The sheaf of papers on Luthor's desk fluttered with it.

Swallowing hard, Kon took up a position near the door so Luthor wouldn't immediately see him when he came in. Watching the door closely and carefully, Kon clenched and unclenched his fists rhythmically.

The last time he had seen Luthor, Kon had been chained to a bed, out of his mind with pain and whatever drugs they had been pumping into his system to keep him compliant. Luthor had seemed so large then, looming over Kon in his white coat and safety glasses. He almost seemed inhuman in those moments. Like some supernatural, terrifying monster.

Kon reminded himself that he had fought monsters like that before, ones created by gods and science and evolution. He had fought each one and won.

This time, Luthor didn't stand a chance against him.

Kon didn't actually have to wait long. In less than five minutes Luthor walked into his office, looking down at his phone and furrowing his brows in concentration as he read. It took him a moment to realize that something wasn't quite right.

A brisk wind ruffled his suit jacket and tie and Luthor looked up from his phone and glanced around the room, his eyes narrowed as he scanned for danger.

When Luthor caught sight of the hole in his window, he turned back to his phone, clearly about to call for help. Kon rushed in and pulled the phone from his hand. He tossed it to the floor several feet away. Then, hovering several feet off the floor so Luthor had to look up to meet his eyes, he stared wordlessly down at Luthor.

Luthor didn't look scary then. He looked like any other businessman Kon might see walking down the street. His tie wasn’t properly centered down his chest and there was a pen smudge on the sleeve of his suit coat. He hadn't shot one of his cuffs and there was a small scuff on his shoe.

He looked very...

Human.

Luthor stared back at him, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring with anger.

"You gave the reporter the files, didn't you."

Kon didn't answer, just raised an eyebrow at Luthor.

"That's stolen property, you know."

"So, arrest me," Kon said.

Luthor curled his lip back and favored Kon with an unpleasant smile.

"Unfortunately," Luthor drawled. "The legal system here doesn't recognize things like you."

"They certainly recognize criminal activity, though," Kon said coolly. "I hear video evidence is particularly effective with juries."

Luthor narrowed his eyes again.

"You need to stop it. With the reporter," Kon said, his voice even and firm.

"Drake?" Luthor asked, a brief moment of surprise flashing across his face, as if that wasn't what he was expecting Kon to say.

"No more hang-up phone calls, no more people following him around, no more strange men waiting outside of his apartment. No more stopping him in the street and trying to coax him into your car. It all stops."

"I surely don't know what you mean," Luthor said in his best neutral tone of voice.

"You _surely_ do. And it stops. Now."

"He’s a good kid. Comes from a nice family," Luthor said. "But someone needs to teach him how to mind his own business."

Kon felt a flash of rage shoot through him at that. He moved quickly, coming in very close, leaning in to look Luthor directly in the eye.

"If you try to _teach_ him anything. I'll teach you a few things."

Luthor's breathing and pulse picked up as he tried hard to maintain eye contact with Kon. His mouth spread in an awful, mocking grin as he watched Kon.

"What could you possibly have to teach me?" Luthor asked in a soft tone of voice. "I made you, after all. I'm the one who taught you everything you know. And frankly, those files you took from my labs aren't the only stolen property in this case..."

Kon didn't answer, his mouth was dry from anger and he was working hard, focusing on not letting his heat vision get the better of him.

"You, my friend, are also stolen property. Don't forget that you belong to me. I own you all the way down to your DNA sequence. I patented your blood, I own your tissue. I made you. I created you. I taught you. In a very legal sense, you belong to me."

Kon knew Luthor wanted him to be scared in that moment. He wanted Kon to be afraid, to feel worthless, to feel as helpless as he had in Luthor's lab when they had cut and poked and prodded him, when they pulled him apart and put him back together.

"And because I know exactly how you were made," Luthor continued. "I also know exactly how to tear you apart. I know you may feel invulnerable right now, but I assure you, I can destroy you. I know every last thing that can hurt you, every last thing that can kill you."

Kon continued to stare Luthor down, not giving anything away with his expression.

"In fact, at this point," Luthor continued. "I wouldn't even need to do it myself. You've made quite a name for yourself, Rush. And you've made enemies along the way. All I would have to do is let some information slip on the internet. Maybe a few of those videos of you. The ones showing what can cut you, penetrate your skin. The ones that make it clear how you can be hurt."

Luthor leaned in closer to Kon. Kon could hear his heart beating quickly and he narrowed his eyes in anger.

"And I would be well within my rights to," Luthor whispered. "Because ultimately you're mine. You're just my stolen property. I get to decide whether you live or die."

Kon wasn't afraid.

He knew now that it hadn't been Luthor who had created him. It hadn't been that lab that made Kon who he was.

Getting out and learning about the world around him had made Kon who he was. Seeing the sun and feeling the sky made Kon who he was. Meeting Kal and Jon and Karen had made Kon who he was. Learning about his Kryptonian Heritage, playing with Krypto, that made him who he was. 

Meeting Bart and Cassie, having someone to fight by his side, someone to support him, someone to bleed for him. That had made Kon who he was.

Meeting Tim, learning more about the people in the world who fought to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Getting to know Tim, wanting to protect Tim... 

That made Kon who he was.

Luthor had nothing to do with it.

"So... are you going to call the cops?" Kon asked. "Did you want to see if they can fit me into one of those little evidence baggies?"

Luthor sneered at him and pulled back and away, taking several steps to distance himself from Kon.

"This article, even if it does get published, will change nothing for me. You know that right? He's a small-time reporter from an unimpressive paper trying to make a name for himself by punching way above his weight level. Nothing will come of this."

"Then why are you so worried about him publishing it?"

Luthor waved a dismissive hand at him and walked over to pick up his phone.

Kon let him.

"You know, even Superman knows better than to bother me at work," Luthor said.

"Maybe it won't be at work next time," Kon said, lifting himself a little further into the air and watching Luthor grimly. "Maybe I'll take a page out of your book. Maybe you'll see me when you're going out for dinner. Maybe when you’re on your way home from work. Maybe when you look up out of your big office window, you'll see me there. Watching you."

"I'm not afraid of you. Either of you."

"Oh, that's fine. It's not me you need to be afraid of. It's Tim Drake. And don't forget, you go after him and I might lose my temper." Kon let his eyes glow a little red then, allowing just a touch of his heat vision to come to the fore.

Luthor had hit a panic button on his watch and Kon could hear a fairly large security team rushing towards Luthor's office. So with that, he left.

Flying back out the hole he had created, Kon soared off into the sky, feeling better than he had in weeks.

The sky was clear and blue with only soft wisps of clouds spread out before him. Kon took off and flew as high and as far as he wanted to.

^*^*^*^*^*

Tim didn't really like conference calls. He especially hated the ones with video chat. The Gazette building was huge and old. A tall brick monstrosity that worked more to disrupt WiFi signals than any other building Tim had ever been in. So every conference call was a cringe-worthy exercise in people accidentally talking over each other because of the sound delay.

Conrad had just stepped on a response from one of Luthor's lawyers and Tim fought down a grimace, working to keep his facial expression neutral.

The Gazette team was sitting around a conference room table, reams of paper Luthor's lawyers had sent over to them after they asked for comment were spread out among them. Luthor's lawyers were staring at them through a state of the art camera from LexCorp while they worked with bad wifi and outdated equipment. Luthor, of course, hadn't felt his participation on this call was necessary and hadn't bothered to show up. He just sent his lawyers to stall and lie for him.

The Gazette's legal staff looked neat as always, well prepared and very present as they spoke with Luthor's team. In contrast, Tim and Conrad were wearing rumpled suits and looked like they hadn't slept in days. Which they hadn’t.

The last time Tim had gotten any real sleep was a few days ago when Kon had come over to his place after his nightmare. It had been the last time he had seen the man but he had heard from him several times over text.

"This point about animal abuse is just pure libel..." one of Luthor's lawyers was saying.

"How is it libel? We have direct video evidence of it."

"That is stolen property."

"It's information given to us by a whistleblower—"

"Who we insist that you name. This 'whistleblower' could have something against Luthor. This video could have been doctored to get revenge for a lawful termination.”

"The video has been authenticated by several sources—"

"None of them Mr. Luthor's sources—"

And they went on and on and on like that for what felt like hours. Tim was starting to wonder if anything productive was going to come out of this call when Luthor walked over and sat down at the table with his lawyers.

Tim hadn't been expecting that. 

Luthor looked neat, his face impassive but not quite composed. Tim sat up straight in his chair and reached nervously for his travel mug. He pulled it in close and tried to keep his face as neutral and professional as possible.

"Mr. Drake, I hear you have been giving my lawyers a lot of trouble today," he said smoothly.

"I'd say it was you who gave your lawyers a lot of trouble Mr. Luthor. You are, after all, the source of this," Tim said firmly.

"Source... interesting choice of words there, Mr. Drake."

"Oh?"

"Something I hoped to discuss with you."

Tim didn't answer, he just took a sip of his coffee and watched Luthor on the screen.

"Your source. For these documents and videos you purport to have."

"Mr. Luthor," Conrad cut in. "There are any number of things we have asked you to discuss with us. Our sources, however, are not on the table. Instead, let's talk about the facility you have near the lake where Drake found the algae. Does that laboratory engage in the same types of genetic manipulation experiments that are shown in the videos?"

For a brief moment, Luthor's face twisted into a sneer before he composed himself.

"I'm not entirely sure who you are, but I was speaking with Mr. Drake. I would expect you to be courteous enough to respect that."

"Was it courtesy that prompted you to offer Mr. Drake a ride in your limo two weeks ago? Or was that something else?"

Luthor's face spread into a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Mr. Drake's mother and I were old friends,” Luthor replied smoothly. “I was hoping to catch up with him. You know, checking up on the child of a woman I deeply respected."

"If I recall correctly," Tim said slowly, looking up as if reaching far back into his memories. "The last party you attended with my mother she called you something very unpleasant."

"Your mother always did have an interesting sense of humor," Luthor said smoothly. "You're very much alike in that respect. Among others..."

Tim didn't think there was a good way to respond to that. Luthor was getting way more personal that Tim felt comfortable with around his editor and all the lawyers.

"Getting back to your laboratory," Conrad cut in.

Tim was grateful. Conrad was an observant man, he clearly realized that Tim didn’t appreciate Luthor pulling his mother into the conversation.

"Nevermind my laboratory," Luthor said smoothly, getting to his feet. "My only response to this story is 'no comment'. The rest, the lawyers will handle with whatever lawsuit they cook up to drain your dying newspaper dry."

He waved his hand dismissively as he spoke. He collected his phone and coffee mug before turning to look at Tim again.

"I would be careful, Mr. Drake. You wouldn’t want to _rush_ this to print. Especially if you don't know your sources very well. There could be a lot they aren't telling you."

Then Luthor walked away.

Luthor's lawyers ended the call pretty quickly after that, obviously eager to stop the sparring match and start filing paperwork.

Conrad visibly slumped as soon as the conference line went dead.

"That was more awful and less productive than I expected," Conrad said.

"How well did Luthor know your mother?" one of the lawyers asked Tim.

Tim shrugged.

"She knew him enough to curse him out by name at parties."

"She didn't like him?"

"Does anyone like him?"

"That's... a fair point."

Tim got to his feet and grabbed his travel mug. His stomach felt all knotted with anxiety and the thought of drinking more coffee made him feel sick, but he needed an excuse for some air.

"I'm going to get another cup of coffee," Tim said, getting to his feet.

The legal team took the hint and headed out, back to their floor.

"Tim—" Conrad called to him and gripped Tim by the shoulder until Tim looked up at him.

"You are sure about your source on this?"

"I'm sure."

"They're not under an NDA?"

"No, they're not."

"And they're not lying? About any of this?"

"They've done nothing but give me more evidence..."

Conrad puffed out a sigh.

"I wish you would tell me who it is."

"He hasn't agreed yet. He might. Eventually. But not yet. And we need to respect that."

Conrad nodded slowly.

"No more coffee. Take the rest of the day off," Conrad said. "And tomorrow. We're almost done with the fact-checking. I'll call you when we're ready to publish."

Tim nodded and gathered his things, feeling a little lost. It felt like there was so much left to do but... he had nothing on his plate.

Glancing at the clock, Tim saw it was pushing close to four in the evening.

He texted Bernard.

*4pm beers? My treat.*

*Make it a cocktail and you have a deal.*

*Good call. A cocktail actually sounds excellent right now.*

*Meet you at The Room in twenty?*

*Absolutely.*

When Tim pushed out of the Gazette building and on to the streets of Gotham, the cool breeze felt good instead of biting. There was a hint of salt in the air as the wind blew in from the bay and Tim walked briskly to the bar. It was only a few blocks away from the Gazette building.

Tim's constant shadow pulled out and followed him slowly by car, keeping close at his heels. Tim ducked into a coffee shop, and hid in a corner near a bookshelf, pretending to peruse the offerings, ten minutes later, the men slipped inside and started to look for him. Tim snuck back out the front door without their noticing. 

Hurrying off down the street, Tim cut into, and then back out of, a couple of roads, winding his way to The Room. The knot of anxiety loosened in Tim's stomach and he felt a wave of relief when he didn’t see the men follow him down into the basement cocktail bar.

The Room was a bar called A Room with Vermouth. It was a cross between a fancy cocktail bar and a dive bar. The place was decorated with minimalist elegance with low lighting and what felt like deliberately spotty service. The walls were lined with framed images of old book covers, handwritten letters from the 1950s, and faded postcards. The food was good, though. The cocktails were better and it was one of Bernard’s favorite spots to grab a drink. 

Tim ordered a martini for Bernard and a gin and tonic for himself, as he waited for Bernard.

Tucking himself in a corner of the bar under an artist’s rather horrifying illustrations for The Hollowmen, Tim kept an eye on the door. 

Bernard was about ten minutes late, which was pretty common for Bernard. He breezed in, windblown and already telling Tim about his day before he sat down at the bar next to him. He hadn't even bothered to say hello.

He lifted his glass to Tim's and Tim clicked his back in a toast.

"This fucking day," Bernard said before taking a slow, grateful sip.

"This fucking day..." Tim agreed.

"My boss is a total disaster," Bernard said. "I hate all people in upper management. They're all deranged."

"My boss protected me from a megalomaniacal multi-billionaire who is conducting illegal experiments today,” Tim said casually. “So... I'm not totally sure your statement holds water generally speaking."

Tim took a sip of his drink and watched Bernard’s face as he processed that. Grimacing, Bernard set his drink on the bar and shook his head. A silence stretched out between them as Bernard tried to figure out what to say to that.

“What… the hell, Tim?”

“It’s… been a weird week…” Tim said, taking another sip of his drink. 

“You wanna tell me a little bit more about that?” Bernard asked.

“Not… not really. It’s probably better that I don’t.”

“You’re closer on this story than you’ve been saying?”

“Yeah.”

“And it’s bigger too. Than the last one.”

“Yeah…”

Bernard grimaced and took a long sip of his drink.

“When will it be out?” Bernard asked.

“We’re hitting publish soon. Maybe another day or so. They’re finishing up the fact-checking now. So, you’ll know soon.”

“How big is this thing going to be?” Bernard asked.

“Hard to say,” Tim said, playing with the glass in his hands. “It could be really big or…”

“Or?”

“It could get quashed. Buried. We’ll see,” Tim said with a sigh and an airy wave of his hand.

“I… I saw you work yourself ragged on the last story. I know you got some pissed off phone calls and angry emails but…” Bernard shook his head and swallowed hard. “You never got like this.”

“Like what?”

“You seem... Scared, almost. Like you’re doing this, but you’re afraid of what it is and what it means for you after it’s out.”

Tim tilted his head to the side, taking a deep breath. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.

“Tim?”

“This guy… This guy I’m trying to pin down… I’m scared of him,” Tim said haltingly. “The last guys I went after, they were small fish compared to this guy.”

“You don’t look like you’ve been sleeping…”

“Yeah… I’ve been… It’s hard to relax.”

“Fortunately,” Bernard said, tapping at Tim’s glass. “I have a solution for that.”

Tim gave him a grim smile and took another sip of his drink.

“Here’s a plan: we get very, very drunk and I complain about my boss and wax poetic about Rocky’s eyes while you comfort me and coo over my new boyfriend.”

“Coo?”

“Hey, I had a bad day too. Not that you asked for details. I deserve cooing and I will get cooing.”

Tim cooed. 

Bernard laughed and downed the rest of his drink before waving down the waitress.

“Now, let me tell you about Rocky’s duck paintings…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting for a few weeks! Life's been crazy, to say the least, and I needed a fandom break. 
> 
> Kon giving Luthor shit is prob one of my fav scenes in this story (second MAYBE to the Tim & Lois scene). He's been scared of Luthor for so long, but he's taking his power back. Loving Tim gave him the strength to face his fears~~ 
> 
> I will never NOT write soul-suckingly sweet character development. 
> 
> For the record, Rocky has the following duck paintings in his living room: A Hooded Merganser, a Bufflehead, and a Canvasback. 
> 
> He also has a Pied-billed Grebe painting, but at this point, Bernard fully understands that Grebes are not ducks. The Grebe painting is hung in the kitchen where fewer people see it to spare Rocky being asked, "And what duck is that?"


	16. Chapter 16 - Better Angles & Animal Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim runs into some trouble and Kon rushes in to help him.

Tim wasn't as hungover as he had expected to be. After he had said goodbye to Bernard the night before, leaving him in the rideshare they had split for the ride home, he downed a couple of glasses of water and some painkillers before he fell into bed and immediately crashed.

He woke up that morning feeling better than he actually deserved given how many cocktails he drank.

Padding barefoot in his kitchen, Tim put the kettle on for coffee as he checked his notifications.

There were a few drunk texts from Bernard from the night before letting him know that Bernard had gotten home safe and that he loved Tim so much and he also loved Rocky but loved Rocky in a Rocky way and loved Tim in a Tim way. Then there was a long series of emojis that Tim couldn't quite decipher.

He texted Bernard back saying he loved Bernard in a Bernard way and Bernard sent a few more emojis back, the meaning of which were abundantly clear this time.

Tim laughed to himself as the kettle came to a boil. He started pouring the hot water over the coffee before turning to give Conrad a quick call.

Conrad answered on the first ring.

"Drake. Don't come in today. We're still working," Conrad said gruffly.

"Is everything going ok?" Tim asked, watching the coffee drip down into the pot.

"Yeah, we're almost done fact-checking. We think we'll be finished tonight and can hit publish tomorrow morning. Be in at five to give it one more read through and we'll have it on the front page by 6 am."

Tim sighed and agreed, glad he hadn't had to go into the office this morning at five.

"In the meantime, Drake, be careful. Those lawyers called me again last night and seemed all keyed up about something. Stay out of trouble today."

"When do I ever get into trouble?" Tim asked.

"You have the Russian mob following you right now," Conrad reminded him.

"Former Russian mob," Tim corrected. "Not even the real deal."

Tim could almost hear Conrad gritting his teeth on the other end of the line.

"Former or not, I bet they're still armed to the teeth. Do something inoffensive today, yeah? Read a book or play with your camera or something."

Tim promised to stay out of trouble and hung up with Conrad.

He poured himself a cup of coffee as he considered his options for the day.

While he knew he should take some time and space away from the story before he looked at the final draft in the morning, Tim knew he wasn't going to be able to focus on anything else.

Tim was sipping his coffee thoughtfully when his phone buzzed with a text notification.

The message was from Kon and when Tim swiped it open it revealed a picture of Kon and Krypto sitting together on the beach early that morning.

*We had a morning swim today.* Kon's message read.

The picture was adorable. Krypto was dripping wet, his tongue lolling out as he almost grinned at the camera. Kon's skin shone with ocean water as well and his hair was spiked with it. He was smiling shyly into the camera, his arm around Krypto.

Tim couldn't help but smile at the picture.

*Glad your recent experiences haven't put you off swimming. Wish I could have come with you.* Tim texted back.

There was a long pause before Kon replied with:

*Next time.*

Tim smiled to himself and thought about Kon and Krypto. His mind immediately turned back to the photos he had taken of the lake a few weeks ago, wondering if he had captured either of them in the pictures.

Pulling out his laptop and camera, Tim quickly went through the photos he had taken that night. While some were absolutely stunning and would make a striking accompaniment to his article, Tim couldn't help but think that maybe he needed a few shots of the lake during daylight to contrast with the glowing night photos.

Dressing quickly, Tim pulled on some jeans and a warm hoodie. He poured the rest of his coffee into a travel mug, refilled his Nalgene, and packed his camera bag. Shrugging into his dark red coat, Tim wrapped his favorite yellow scarf around his neck. He checked to make sure he had his phone, wallet, and keys before slipping out his door.

Conrad had told him to be careful today and this time around, Tim would be. He would take all of his pictures with his zoom lenses from outside of the fence, and try to stay far, far away from any errant retired Russian mobsters.

Before he took off, he stopped off to check in with his doorman.

"They still out there?" Tim asked, trying to peer out the glass front doors without being visible to anyone outside.

While they hadn't found him at the cocktail bar with Bernard last night, Tim had seen the men when he stumbled out of his ride-share at two in the morning. They had looked annoyed with him.

"They are... Assholes," the doorman replied, grumpily. "You want to take the service exit?"

"Can I?" Tim asked. That door was usually reserved for move-ins and maintenance, tenants weren't supposed to use it.

"Yeah, I'm sick and tired of these guys giving both of us a hard time..."

He led Tim out the large side door. Tim glanced around, making sure there was no one around to see him as he stepped out of the building. He gave Carl an airy wave before taking off down the street in the direction of the train station.

Tim made sure he wasn't followed to the station, doubling back a few times and slipping in and out of coffee shops. When he got to the train station, he paid in cash for his ticket. He didn't feel fully relaxed until the train departed from the station without any sign of Russian mobsters having boarded with him or any strange phone calls.

Tim spent the train ride to Metropolis working on the photo-spread for the story. Aside from doing a quick sort to try and identify the shortlist of photos for his article, Tim hadn't really gone through the photos he had taken that night very carefully.

As he paged through them now, he realized he had caught a couple of Kon and the creature, high and off in the distance. They were little more than just spots of color in a darkening landscape. Tim wondered how he could have missed them when he was taking pictures that night.

It turned out Tim had about eight shots with Kon and Krypto. He deleted them off his camera and laptop, emptying his recycling bin and double checking they hadn't ended up out on the cloud somewhere.

Peej had copies if he ever needed one and it was probably better Tim didn't have any images of superheroes on his computer. He learned that the hard way.

Guilt flooded through him as he thought back to how close the men who had bugged his apartment had come to finding the pictures he had taken of Batman and Robin.

While there was a part of Tim that still felt deeply sad at losing those photos, he knew he had to give them to Jason and Babs. For their safety and his.

Swallowing hard, Tim turned back to the photos he had left of the lake and the surrounding property, picking out the ones he thought would be best for the photo-spread and beginning to edit them.

He had four pictures he took from the files Kon had given him and three more of the lake he had taken at night before Kon crash-landed in it. He wanted to get another three or four of the property surrounding the lake and maybe a couple of daylight pictures of the lake itself today.

It was nearly two in the afternoon when the ride-share dropped Tim off at the lake.

"You sure this is the spot, man?" the driver asked, eyeing the empty fields all around him.

Tim patted his camera bag.

"Yup. Just taking some nature photos."

The man behind the wheel nodded but still looked skeptical. He motored off, leaving Tim standing in that dusty road again.

Taking a deep breath, Tim pushed forward toward the lake. The fencing surrounding the property and lake was about a quarter-mile from the road. Tim had to pick his way through the tall grass.

Scanning the area, Tim kept his eye out for any spots that offered a good vantage point to the property or the lake. He had been walking for about twenty minutes before he spotted a large, gnarled apple tree near the fence. The branches were low and spaced close enough together that it would be easy to climb at least above the fenceline. 

Tim tucked his camera bag tightly under his arm and climbed the tree. He got about six feet up into the air and settled on to one of the branches, bracing himself with his back against the trunk. Tim scanned the area, taking in the lighting, the shadows, the framing of the lake, and any obstructions of his view into the property. 

There was a thick shrub that could potentially block his view but if he leaned out over the branch just right, he would have his shot. Tim hummed to himself thoughtfully and then reached to unpack his camera.

He pulled it out of his bag and slung the strap around his neck. Carefully pulling out his lenses, Tim attached them and turned the camera on.

He took a couple of test shots, the buzz of insects and the click of his shutter a familiar soothing sound to Tim. Soon, Tim was relaxing into his photography. Focusing on the framing, the lighting, the angle of each shot as he took picture after picture of the lake.

He was feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time. Tim went through the motions of each picture. Look out the viewfinder, frame the shot, click the shutter, wait...

Tim had been taking pictures for over an hour and he was so involved in what he was doing that he didn't notice the silence of the insects at first. It took him a moment to realize they had gone quiet. Tim paused, pulling the camera down from his face and stopping to listen.

Had it been a bird?

Then he heard another sound. There was a snap of a branch nearby as something large and heavy walked towards the tree where Tim was sitting. Tim froze, looking up and around.

That was when he noticed the smell.

It was dank and musky. Almost skunk-like but thicker and heavier. Tim swallowed hard, wondering hopefully if it was a bear. They also happened to like apples and Tim was currently sitting in a tree full of half-ripe ones.

Taking a deep breath, Tim tried to look around without moving too much in the tree. He scanned the area and he finally caught sight of something that made his blood run cold.

The creature looked a lot like the one Kon had described to him. Hairy, dog-like, but missing fur in thick patches. Its eyes looked wild and there was frothy saliva dripping from its maw. The creature couldn't quite seem to be able to manage to shut its mouth entirely.

Right now, it had paused in the field about twenty yards away from the tree where Tim was perched. Tim's mouth went dry when the animal tilted its head back, scenting the air.

Tim could tell the exact moment it smelled him. The creature's hackles rose and it let out a terrifying growl.

Tim fumbled to stuff his camera back in his back. He had just pulled out his phone and hit the panic button Batgirl had installed when the creature seemed to roar and took off at a run, in Tim's direction.

^*^*^*^*^

Kon watched, bemused, as the old lady insisted he wait at the doorway while she got her change purse. Her daughter had been stuck late at work and so had set up a grocery delivery for her mother over the app Kon used for gig work. Kon tried to explain to the woman that her daughter had tipped him through the app, but the elderly woman insisted she would give him something as well.

Kon stood by her front door for a few long moments, tapping his foot and checking the time. He had to get back home soon to feed Krypto or Krypto would take matters into his own hands and destroy the Tupperware Kon used to store his food.

Kon had come home on more than one occasion to the Tupperware in pieces and the floor of his kitchen covered in doggie kibble. It had not been fun to clean up.

The old woman eventually came back to the door and stood there, pulling four shiny quarters out of her change purse and handing them to Kon.

"Here you are, young man," she said with a smile. "Thank you very much for your help and you enjoy your day, now."

"You too, ma'am," Kon said politely and gave her a smile.

She waved to him from her door as Kon took off down her front steps and hit the sidewalk below at a trot. He was mentally urging Krypto to be patient for ten more minutes while he walked home when his phone let out a sort of ringing buzz he hadn't heard it make before.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and when he checked the readout, his blood went cold. The program for Tim's panic button was flashing red. Tim had hit the button just seconds ago. Rushing into an alley, Kon pulled off his clothes, stripping down to his Rush uniform underneath. He quickly called up the map showing Tim's location on the phone.

Tim had gone back to the lake.

Why had Tim gone back to the lake?

Tim had told Kon not to go back to the lake.

What could have possessed him to go back to the stupid lake?

Cursing to himself in Kryptonian, Kon kicked off into the air, his heart pounding in his chest. As he flew off in the direction of the lake, Kon did his best to focus in, to try and hear Tim.

When he finally zeroed in on Tim’s heartbeat, Kon could hear him breathing quickly, his heart beating fast. He was clearly afraid.

Kon moved even faster then, kicking up dust and debris in his wake as he flew far faster than he knew he should.

When he got to the lake, he spotted Tim, a bright flash of red tucked up into an apple tree along the fencing bordering the lake. Below Tim was a creature similar to the one Kon and Krytpo had fought here before.

This one was larger than the last one, fangs dripping with spit and eyes an eerie green shade. Its fur was much darker than the last one's almost black. Bones jutted from beneath its skin as if it hadn't eaten in weeks. There were small, even gashes along its side that wept something that looked like blood, only darker. More black than red...

It tilted back its head and let out a low, guttural growl that canted into an almost cracking howl. The sound made the hair on the back of Kon's neck stand up. He fought down a shiver as he watched the creature howling.

It was then that Kon saw all the others.

Tall grass, brush, and tree limbs shuttered and moved as nearly a dozen of the creatures responded to their brother's cry.

Kon's breath caught in his throat as he took them all in. They were all slightly different, one had long legs that looked like a cross between a grasshopper and a giraffe. Another had vestigial wings shooting up from it's back, but they were covered in fur, not feathers. Another had no fur at all, just sleek black skin, broken in spots, and oozing blood and something thick and green.

They all tilted their heads back as they scented the air and Kon watched as they all moved slowly but surely towards Tim.

Unsure what to do, Kon flew down in a flash, scooping Tim up and out of the tree. Wrapping his arms tight around Tim, Kon lifted them both into the air.

"Ah!" Tim cried as he grabbed on to Kon. "You found me!"

Kon didn't respond, just paused, hovering thirty feet from the ground and waiting to see if any of these creatures could fly. They all looked up to watch Tim and Kon, eyes different shades of yellow and green, followed them closely. Their heads were all tilted back and a cacophony of howls and growls and shrill breaking cries echoed all around them.

"I think I'm going to need back up," Kon said slowly.

Tim ignored him, pulling out his camera and taking a few quick pictures of the creatures below.

"All these guys weren't here last time!" Tim said breathlessly. "I think we would have noticed."

"Where did they come from?" Kon asked, fumbling for his phone to call Peej.

"I'm wondering if Luthor is clearing out his labs. We’re about to publish and he might be worried about a raid."

Kon felt his stomach drop out at that. 

Pulling out his phone, Kon called Peej and asked her to meet them at the lake and to bring sedatives. While all the creatures looked pretty fierce, he didn't actually want to hurt any of them. They hadn't done anything wrong. Not really...

"What's the plan?" Tim asked, still snapping shots of the animals howling up at them. "Damn, I wish I could take video."

"No video, they'll know I was holding you and flying."

"I know, I know!" Tim said, he was moving back and forth to frame shots in different ways and he was squirming way more than Kon was comfortable with when he was holding Tim with his TTK.

"Power Girl is on her way with some sedatives. We're gonna try and knock them out."

"And then?"

"Then we take them to the Fortress. See if we can make them comfortable there."

"Are you crazy?" Tim said, whirling away from his viewfinder to look at Kon in surprise.

"What happens if we leave them here for the government? They get taken back to another lab and tested even more? Or worse, killed? At least at the Fortress, they'll be free from that sort of pain."

Tim nodded, understanding and sympathy clear in his face. Kon was about to say something else when Peej whooshed over to them.

"You again?" she said, winking at Tim.

"Me again..." Tim said self-deprecatingly. 

She grinned at him and held up two small dart guns.

"I brought the sedatives."

"I hope you brought a lot..." Tim said, looking down at the animals consideringly.

"I'm gonna put you in that tree," Kon said, gesturing to a very tall oak tree. "And you're going to stay in that tree while Peej and I knock these guys out. Do not try to climb down the tree to help. Do not fall out of the tree while taking pictures."

"I can safely promise that I will not..." Tim said, honestly.

Kon flew over and tucked Tim into a very large jutting tree branch far from the ground. He, of course, immediately pulled out his camera.

The creatures were working themselves into a frenzy now, milling around in strange half circles as they yipped and howled and snarled up at Kon and Peej.

Kon flew back over to her and she handed him a dart gun and a small pack of extra darts.

"We're gonna have to get in closer than we'd like to these things," she said grimly. "And we need to be careful. We don't know how the sedatives will impact them. I don't want to give them too much. So hit them once and wait to see what happens..."

Kon nodded and loaded his gun with a dart. Then he and Peej flew down, skating just above the circling throng of creatures. They leaped up, snapping at him and Peej as the creatures tried to pull them down into the twisting morass of fetid fur and seeping skin.

The one with large, grasshopper legs actually tore out a section of Peej's cape as she twisted away from him. She hit him with a dart as she swore softly in Kryptonian.

They hit several of the creatures with a single dart then flew up, high above to watch. They hadn't even whimpered when they were hit with the dart, as if the pain didn't register to them.

"The ones we hit are slowing down..." Peej mused thoughtfully. "Let's give them another dose and see if two will do the trick."

It actually took three darts each, and the largest of them took four, before they all stumbled to a stop and began to fall to their sides on the ground. When they all finally stopped moving, Kon took a moment to count.

There were eleven of them, all asleep in the field.

"Sooooo, let's get these bad boys to the Fortress zoo," Peej said, cracking her fingers. "You tell Kal he was getting new puppies?"

"I thought it might be a nice surprise..."

Peej turned to him with a grin.

"Wanna bet on how long it'll take for him to notice he has new friends?"

Kon grinned back and two of them scooped up one animal each. Kon gave Tim a wave as he slung one of the animals over his shoulder. Tim waved back hesitantly from his perch in the tree, clearly a little nervous about falling.

Kon and Peej took each of the creatures off to the Fortress. There was a spare enclosure that was large and made for Earth animals. They deposited each of them into the pen.

"Alright, you go rescue Rapunzel from that tree, I'm going to do some analysis to make sure these guys are healthy and figure out what to feed them."

Kon nodded and thanked Power Girl before taking off to find Tim.

Tim was still in his same spot in the tree, patiently watching for Kon's return.

"Hey," Tim said with a shy smile when Kon flew up beside him.

"Hey back," Kon said, returning the smile.

"How'd that go?"

"They're all penned in. Peej is doing some tests to assess their health and we're gonna go from there."

Tim nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"Guess, I need to rewrite the end of my article..." Tim said slowly.

"Guess so..." Kon agreed, reaching out to pull Tim out of the tree and into his arms. "Sorry for giving you extra work."

"Nah," Tim said, holding Kon close and leaning in to press their foreheads together. "I like this ending better. The big strong superhero saves the poor tortured animals and gives them a good home. It's more... hopeful..."

Kon smiled at that.

"I had help saving them..." he said softly.

"Oh, I know. When I said big strong superhero, I meant Power Girl," Tim teased.

Kon laughed and shook his head.

"I'm just as big and strong as she is," Kon said, voice low and husky.

"Prove it," Tim said, his bright blue eyes staring deeply into Kon's.

Tim's hair was windswept and his cheeks were flushed with excitement. His eyes shone with mischief and affection and Kon couldn't help but lean in and press a kiss to Tim's mouth.

Tim's lips were soft and cool against Kon's. His fingers tangled into the hair at the back of Kon's head and breathed into the kiss as if he was giving him life.

"Ohhhh, I like it when you do that," Tim husked against Kon's mouth.

"Me too…”

Tim met his eyes and nuzzled in close, pressing a kiss to the corner of Kon's mouth.

"Let's go home, Kon," Tim said softly.

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit! 
> 
> It's almost over.
> 
> You guys ready for some resolution? Brace yourself for maximum cuteness.


	17. Chapter 17 - Hitting Publish & Apartment Tours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim's story finally goes to print and Kon helps him celebrate.

"Ready?" Conrad asked, turning to Tim.

They were in Conrad's office, having just completed the finishing touches on the story somewhere around 5:30 in the morning. Conrad was behind his desk, working at his laptop, his second screen turned so they all could see it. Tim and Sonia were across the desk from him, sitting in uncomfortable chairs, leaning in to read and reread the text on the screen.

"Ready," Tim said, his voice firm and sure.

He was lying though. He absolutely did not feel ready.

Conrad took his word for it, though, and hit the publish button on the screen.

"It's up," Conrad announced, sounding as if he was forcing the cheer in his voice.

Puffing out a sigh, Tim slumped down in his chair. Conrad grinned at him and Sonia cupped her hands around her mouth and made sounds simulating a crowd cheering.

Neither Conrad nor Tim could help smiling tiredly at that.

Tim was exhausted.

The minute Kon had dropped him back at his place the day before, he had been called back to the Fortress by Peej, who needed help wrangling the creatures so she could do tests. He had left in a flash and Tim had contacted Conrad.

Conrad, Tim, and Sonia had worked through the night, finishing up rewrites, editing his photo-spread, and making sure all their proverbial ducks were in a row before they hit publish.

It was around 5:20 that Conrad had announced that it was perfect and if Luthor was going to sue them, he was going to do it no matter what they did so they might as well hit publish.

And they did.

Tim knew Conrad was going to sit at his desk and watch the click rates on the article for hours. Tim wasn't sure he had that in him.

He stumbled into one of the wellness rooms for a quick fifteen-minute nap. Slumping onto the sofa in the room, Tim laid down, not actually expecting to fall asleep...

The sound of his name being shouted gleefully by Conrad woke Tim abruptly. Fishing for his phone as he stumbled out of the wellness room, Tim realized he had been asleep for nearly an hour and a half.

Conrad found him in the hallway and pulled him into an enthusiastic hug.

"This is big!!" Conrad called. "Big! This story has been read by more people than any other article we've published this year! It's getting picked up everywhere. GNN broadcast it in its A block this morning!"

Tim was still half asleep and feeling a bit dazed. His phone buzzed in his hand and he looked down at it.

There were dozens of notifications from texts and emails that poured in while he had been asleep. Tim's eyes widened as he took in the amount of feedback that was coming into him.

Then his phone buzzed.

The readout on his phone said: Maybe Lois Lane

Tim thumbed the call live.

"Ms. Lane," Tim said. "Good to hear from you."

"Nice article, Rookie," she said. "Good to see you survived long enough to publish."

"Yeah, a couple of close calls, but I managed."

"It's nice to have a helping hand when you get into those sticky situations. These are some nice aerial shots you got here, by the way," she said smugly. "You must have an excellent drone-mounted camera..."

"Not at all, I took most of them from a big oak tree," Tim wryly. "While desperately trying not to fall into a hoard of very hungry creatures."

"Ohhh, there's a story I'd love to hear," Lois said. "I'll buy you a drink when your talk show circuit inevitably takes you to Metropolis."

"Talkshow circuit?" Tim asked dumbly.

"Ha! Yeah, I'd check with your editor. I'll be signing you up to be on every morning and evening show there is on the East Coast."

"Oh dear god," Tim groaned. "Any advice on that?"

"Yeah, it's easier to deal with the Russian mob than morning TV personalities and people with our coloring shouldn't use a lot of blush so make sure they stick with something closer to a bronzer on you. They'll make you look like a cherry cheeked cherub if they get the chance."

"Ok, now I"m even more scared than when the monster tried to eat me..."

"Welcome to journalism!" Lois laughed and hung up the phone.

Tim swallowed hard and made his way back to Conrad's office. He and Sonia were avidly watching the click count.

"Hey Drake, they want you on Tonight in Gotham. Can you be at their studio at 4 today?"

"I... guess..."

"Great! We'll have our guy prep you."

"What guy?" Tim asked, still feeling sleepy, stupid and like he was in a foot race lagging six feet behind all the other runners.

"Our guy! He's great!" Conrad said, not looking up from the screen.

Tim was about to press Conrad when he realized that the bullpen behind him, which had been filled with excited chattered had died down into a low buzz. Tim glanced out the door of Conrad's office to see none other than Bruce Wayne making his way down the floor of the bullpen in their direction.

Tim felt himself go pale.

"Oh shit, it's Wayne," Tim whispered to Conrad.

Conrad looked up from the screen.

"Bruce Wayne? The man who owns this paper and signs our paychecks?"

"What other Wayne would be here?" Tim hissed.

Conrad didn't answer, just stumbled to his feet. He and Tim looked at each other with panicked chagrin.

They were both hopeless disheveled. Wrinkled shirts half-tucked into jeans. Tim's hair was mussed from sleep and Conrad had a coffee stain down the side of his shirt.

Conrad shrugged and gave Tim a 'welp, here we go' kind of smile and came to stand with Tim at the door to his office.

"Mr. Wayne," Conrad called. "So good to see you, sir."

Wayne walked over to them with an easy smile and he couldn't have presented more of a contrast. His suit was neatly pressed and his tie was knotted elegantly. His hair was perfect and he smelled like fresh, spicy cologne rather than stale coffee.

"Lyle," Bruce said easily. "It's been forever."

"Literally, Mr. Wayne. We've never met," Lyle said with a grin.

"Well, I had a fifty-fifty shot on that. Can't blame a guy for trying," Wayne said, giving Conrad a self-deprecating smile.

Conrad laughed and reached out a hand to shake Wayne's. 

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," he said with a grin.

"Likewise," Wayne said smoothly then turned to face Tim. "Good to see you again, Tim. It's been a while."

"You know Mr. Wayne?" Conrad asked, turning to Tim in surprise.

"Mr. Wayne and I were neighbors for a time," Tim said. "Good to see you again too."

"I was hoping I could take Tim out for coffee," Wayne said. "Congratulate him on his recent success."

"Coffee sounds good..." Tim said.

"A pay raise would be better," Conrad cut. "For the whole team." Wayne turned to look at him and Conrad grinned. "Just getting that in there while I had a chance."

Wayne smiled at him and nodded.

"I'll see what I can do," Wayne said smoothly. "I hear you like pour-over."

"I do," Tim agreed. "There's a place across the street that does a good pour-over."

They didn't go across the street. Wayne led him outside, then opened up the door of a large black limo.

Tim hesitated and looked up at Wayne.

"Coffee's inside," Wayne said, and this time he wasn't smiling.

"Lois Lane told me never to get into cars with billionaires."

"I suspect she told you not to get into cars with certain billionaires."

"I think she maybe meant you too..."

"Coffee's. Inside." Wayne repeated.

Tim got into the car.

Wayne followed after and pulled the door shut behind him. He tapped on the roof and the car pulled smoothly into traffic. Wayne pulled two cups of coffee out of cup holders inside and handed one Tim.

It smelled perfect but...

"What's in this?" Tim asked, looking up at Wayne.

"It's black. Someone told me that's your preference."

"It's not... like full of truth serum or something...?"

"There's no such thing as truth serum."

"Ok... so your response was 'there's no such thing as truth serum' not 'I would never dream of drugging you, my dear sweet boy.'" Tim pointed out.

Wayne took a sip of his coffee and raised an eyebrow at Tim.

Tim sighed, shrugged, and took a sip of the coffee.

It was good. Likely imported from somewhere fancy.

"I think we have a lot to talk about."

"Like my habit of exposing the wicked deeds of very rich men to the world?" Tim asked.

"Do you think I'm wicked?"

Tim swallowed hard at that and thought about how to answer. He slowly shook his head and took a deep breath.

"I don't think you're wicked, no."

Wayne hummed thoughtfully, watching Tim over the rim of his coffee mug.

"I don't think I'm in a position to judge the decisions you've made," Tim continued slowly. "Maybe if my life had turned a little differently, I would have made similar ones. As it is now..."

Tim trailed off with a shrug and took another sip of his coffee.

"As it is now," Wayne continued for him. "Maybe we can help each other."

"Oh?" Tim asked, feeling curious.

"You're a good reporter, a good investigator. If you had come to me about this a bit sooner, rather than Superman or Rush, I could have helped you end this before the Russian mob was following you home."

Tim nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"Maybe..." Tim conceded.

"I think this has the possibility of getting bigger. I think the backlash from Luthor has only just begun."

"And you'll gallantly keep an eye on my hearth and home for the low, low price of listening in to all my conversations."

"I won't listen in unless you ask."

Tim... didn't believe him.

Puffing out a sigh, Tim nodded.

"Was this... meeting, about reassuring me that I was safe in your city, or was it about reassuring yourself that my next big expose wasn't going to be on you."

"You don't have any evidence on me," Wayne pointed out, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Are you sure? I could have more photos."

Wayne hummed as he swallowed and shook his head.

"Jason described the reaction you had when you realized someone had been in your home. When you gave him the pictures. I think you have any more."

"Oh god... And you checked. You searched my apartment, didn't you."

Wayne didn't answer.

Tim felt... kind of mad. He looked out the window and realized they were circling back to the Gazette building.

They pulled in to park back by the front doors and Wayne got out of the limo, moving so that Tim could follow. Before Tim could walk away, Wayne grabbed him by the arm and Tim turned back to face him.

Wayne's expression was inscrutable but his eyes were... They weren't as emotionless as they had been in the limo.

"Thank you. For the photos. They really are... quite beautiful. You really are an exceptional artist."

Tim looked up at Wayne and gave him a sharp smile.

"Jason gave me an A for effort."

"Well-deserved," Wayne said, then he slipped back into his limo and he was gone.

Tim sighed and traipsed back up to his floor in the Gazette building. Conard was waiting eagerly for him when he got back.

"What did he say?"

"Good job, mostly," Tim said. "He was impressed with us."

"Yesssss," Sonia said, and high fived everyone. Tim smiled at her.

"Now!" Conrad called, leading them back into Conrad's office. "Let's prep you for the interviews."

Tim sighed and followed him, thinking back to what Lois had said when she had called. He couldn't remember if she had told him to use blush or bronzer.

^*^*^*^*

Kon and Krypto were walking back from the pizza shop down the street, dinner hand, when Kon's phone buzzed with a new text message.

When Tim's name came up on the notification, Kon felt his heart jump in his chest.

Kon had read Tim's story that morning. After spending most of the night helping Peej tend to the wounds of the poor creatures Kon had captured, he had fallen into bed and crashed immediately. He had woken to a message from Peej saying how impressed she was that Tim had managed to take such good photos while tucked up in that oak tree.

Feeling an unexpected sense of anticipation, Kon had pulled open Tim's article and read. The story was written with both bold commentary and soft sympathy for the animals that Luthor had harmed. Kon felt himself welling up with pride as he read through the text, especially as Tim described how he and Peej had rescued the creatures and taken them to a secure location where they could be safe and well-tended.

The images that went along with it were stunning as well. Breathtaking shots of the glowing lake, terrifying images of the creatures surrounding Tim, stunning photos of Kon and Peej swooping into sedate the animals.

Everything was deeply impressive.

Tim had been on the TV most of the day after that, giving interviews in a dark suit with a beautiful navy shirt that made his look even bluer...

Kon thumbed the notification open and read Tim's message.

*Just finished filming Metropolis at Dusk. Even your news reporters are brighter here...*

*I mean, their teeth are lighter, maybe not anything else...* Kon texted back.

*Very fair. Any chance you want to grab some grub with a hungry and very tired journalist?*

Kon felt his stomach drop out and he thought hard and fast about what to do next...

*I just grabbed a pizza for me and Krypto. Want to come by my place and share with us?* Kon found himself typing, feeling a rush of nerves shooting through his stomach.

*Absolutely!* Tim texted back. *Where can I meet you?*

Kon texted Tim the nearest cross street to his apartment. It took Tim less than fifteen minutes to walk there. He caught sight of Kon and Krypto half a block away and gave them a big wave.

Krypto yipped and Kon let go of his leash so he could run up and greet Tim. Kon walked over to meet them both at a slower pace. Tim dropped to one knee to give Krypto a hug and kiss on the top of his head.

"Who's a good boy?" Tim asked. "Is it you? Is it you? Yes, it is. You're a good boy."

Kon smiled down at them both.

"He was a very good boy. He didn't even fuss when I was late to dinner last night."

"Awww, see I knew it," Tim cooed at Krypto, rubbing at his ears as he got to his feet.

Kon led Tim down the street towards his apartment, suddenly feeling a little nervous. He didn't invite very many people over to his place and while it was tidy and had all the comforts, it wasn't exactly...

Tim's apartment was elegant in a way. All dark furniture and beautiful cityscapes framed on the walls. Everything matched, it was neat and spacious and looked...

Much nicer than Kon's.

"Pizza smells good," Tim said, nodding to the box.

"Yeah, the best pizza shop in Metropolis."

"Ahhh, so that makes it a Gotham City six, then..." Tim mused.

Kon turned to him, narrowing his eyes.

"Gotham's pizza isn't that much better than Metropolis'," he said defensively.

Tim raised one perfect eyebrow at him.

"How much pizza have you eaten in Gotham?"

"I mean... none..."

"Oh my sweet summer child, I have a whole new magical world of truly excellent pizza to show you," Tim said dramatically. He was still wearing his beautiful suit and there was makeup on his face from the show he had just been taping. His eyes looked so blue and so expressive...

Kon huffed out a laugh as he keyed open the doors and led Tim up the stairs to his apartment. When he opened the door to his apartment, Krypto pushed past both of them to walk into the living room. He retrieved his favorite toy and brought it over to show Tim as Tim and Kon pulled off their shoes.

"That's a very nice beach ball, Krypto," Tim said, patting Krypto on the head affectionately.

"He likes you. He doesn't bring the beach ball to just anyone," Kon said, leading Tim towards the kitchen.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, beach ball means you're buddies for life."

"What would, say, a tennis ball mean?" Tim asked.

"Mmmm, the tennis ball is the ball of shunning. I'm afraid if he brought you the tennis ball you'd never be allowed in this city again."

"Yikes," Tim said with a faux grimace. "Tough city."

Kon grinned at him and set the pizza on the counter.

"Water or beer?" Kon asked, grabbing plates for their pizza.

"Actually," Tim said, digging into the backpack he was carrying over one shoulder. "I brought a treat..."

Tim brandished a bottle of champagne.

"It was a gift from the folks at Metropolis at Dusk. Want to know what Gotham City Tonight gave me?"

"What?"

"Tap water that I think the FDA ruled was not potable due to the amount of residual Joker Gas in it."

"Is that a joke?" Kon asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I hope so," Tim said then popped the champagne.

Krypto barked as the cork made a loud sound and Tim cheered as the champagne bubbled.

Tim lifted the bottle in the air and raised an eyebrow at Kon, watching him with a charming grin on his face.

"I, uh... Don't have champagne glasses?" Kon confessed with a shy smile.

"What have you got?"

"Ummm, pint glasses?"

"That'll do!"

Tim pulled off his suit jacket and draped it over the single barstool Kon had with a back as Kon dug out a few pint glasses. He offered them to Tim as Tim pulled off his tie.

"I'm sorry, are these Metropolis Meteors branded pint glasses?" Tim asked primly as he put his tie in the pocket of his coat.

"Yes, they are."

"You expect me, full-blooded Gotham City Boy, to drink my victory champagne out of a Metropolis Meteors glass?"

"Still salty about last season?" Kon asked with a grin.

"Salty is a mild term," Tim said primly.

Kon dug back into his cupboards and came out with a red mug with the Superman symbol on it that said 'World's Greatest Dog Dad'. He offered it to Tim.

"Vast improvement," Tim said with a grin.

He poured Kon a pint glass and himself a mug of champagne. They toasted with their mismatched glasses, laughing as they sipped the champagne.

"Oh no!" Tim said, after his first sip. "Metropolis at Dusk has tricked us both! This is terrible! I think this might just be carbonated Gotham City tap water."

Kon laughed at that too.

"So aside from the tap water and bad champagne, how was your whirlwind tour of all the local news shows."

Tim hummed as he took another sip of his champagne.

"It would have been better if they hadn't crammed so much make-up on my face. I cannot wait to take a shower and get out of this suit and just scrub off..." Tim said with a groan, slouching against Kon's kitchen counter.

"I have a shower..." the words were out before Kon had a chance to think about what he was actually offering. He felt his face flush.

The expression on Tim's face shifted into something more open and speculative than Kon expected.

"Yeah?" Tim asked, his voice low and tentative as if he wanted to wait and see if Kon would make the actual offer.

"You can," Kon started and then paused when his voice cracked a little. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You can use mine."

"Hmmm," Tim hummed, his expression shifted into something closer to mischievous. "That depends, is it a nice shower?"

"It's an ok, shower," Kon said nervously.

"Is it big enough for two?" Tim husked, setting down his coffee mug of champagne and stepping in close to Kon.

Kon swallowed hard and felt butterflies flittering around in his stomach.

"I've— I've never tried... to fit... two people," Kon stammered breathlessly.

"Sounds like another mystery for us to solve... together," Tim teased, leaning in close to Kon and smiling openly.

"I— yeah." Kon agreed, feeling very stupid and very clumsy but also very excited and a little scared.

Tim took a step back and reached for his mug of champagne.

"Lead the way?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow at Kon as he took another sip.

Kon led the way.

He led Tim out of his kitchen, with its mismatched dishes and tattered dish towels. He led Tim through his small living room, past his overstuffed sofa that he had to patch a time or two after Krytpo accidentally tore it. He led Tim through his very tiny bedroom, where his simple bed, made with a dark blue comforter and a blanket that Ma Kent had knitted for him ages ago, took up most of the room. He led Tim into his tiny bathroom with the shower curtain that looked like a fish tank and mismatched towels.

He swallowed hard and turned to look at Tim, who was smiling at his fishbowl shower curtain.

"I like it," Tim said, grinning at Kon.

Kon smiled back, suddenly feeling a little more at ease.

That was, until Tim moved to unbutton his shirt. Then Kon's mouth went dry.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he could tell by the expression on Tim's face that maybe he wasn't looking too suave right now...

Kon turned to pull the curtain aside and flip the taps on, testing the water with his hands as he did, checking the temperature.

When he turned on the spray and looked back up, Tim's shirt was unbuttoned but that was all. He was watching Kon closely, cautiously.

Kon breathed out a nervous laugh, trying to reassure Tim, and then stood, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor. Tim's expression melted into a fond smile as he watched Kon.

Tim tossed his shirt to the floor as well and looked down to undo the buckle of his belt.

Kon was...

Knew for sure in that moment that this was it. And while he did feel nervous, it was more of an anticipatory nervousness rather than a scared one.

He wondered if Tim could tell he had never done this before...

Kon heard a clunk and Tim's slacks were on the floor along with his belt. He pulled off his socks, wearing just his boxers and Kon took the plunge. He pulled the sweats he had been wearing off and dropped them to the floor.

Tim paused them, his fingers at the waistband of his boxers. He was watching Kon with dark, serious eyes.

Kon hadn't been wearing boxers and he was very obviously aroused. Tim watched him with the type of intensity that made Kon shiver.

Tim noticed and pulled off his boxers with a smile.

"Water seems nice and warm," Tim said, gesturing to the shower.

Kon mumbled something in response and they both slipped into the shower.

They barely fit... but they made it work.

The minute the water hit him, Tim groaned and moved to be more fully under the water. Kon had to step back a bit to let Tim fully immerse himself in the spray. Tim scrubbed off his face, washing away the makeup and hair product the studios had used on him.

"Thank god," Tim said, his voice muffled in his hands as he rubbed at his now clean face.

"Feeling better?" Kon asked.

"Yes, I feel," Tim said turning back to face Kon with a smile, "much more like myself."

Tim's cheeks were pink, flushed with heat, not painted with makeup. His mouth looked full as it smiled up at Kon and his eyes were beautiful. Flashing up at Kon mischievously.

"I'm glad," Kon said simply.

Tim moved in, then, pressing in close to Kon and wrapping his long arms around Kon's neck.

"Me too," Tim husked back and rocked up on his tiptoes to kiss Kon.

The kiss was... electric.

It was like nothing Kon had ever felt before. It was as if every press of Tim's lips, every flick of the tongue was a current that flowed through every nerve ending Kon had. Kon felt himself whimpering for it, pulling Tim in close and wrapping his arms around Tim's slick, warm skin.

Kon couldn't get enough, he felt like he was falling, drowning. He was flooded with sensation and everything felt simultaneously like it was too much and not nearly enough.

He gasped as Tim broke their kiss and pressed his mouth to Kon's neck, licking, nipping, nibbling his way up to Kon's ear. Nuzzling at Kon's ear Tim whispered to Kon in a soft, husky, almost soothing voice.

"Is this ok?"

"Yes," Kon gasped out. "Don't stop. Please."

He begged, almost instinctively, for Tim's touch. His body was arched, pressing as close to Tim as he could, his hip flexed involuntarily, rubbing his erection against the soft skin and jutting bone at Tim's hip.

Kon let out a soft sob, trying to control himself, trying to control his strength, his movements when his whole body was just crying out for Tim.

"S-sorry," he stammered, trying to pull back.

Tim cupped Kon's face with his hands and rubbed gently at Kon's cheekbones with his thumbs until Kon opened his eyes and looked down at Tim. He hadn't even realized he had closed them...

"You don't need to apologize to me, Kon," Tim said and his voice was again soft and soothing as he ran gentle fingers over Kon's face.

"I just— I— This is— I've never done this... before," Kon stammered.

"I sort of guessed," Tim said with a reassuring smile.

A flood of embarrassment hit Kon and he grimaced down at Tim.

"I'm that obvious?"

"No, but I am a world-famous investigative reporter, remember?" Tim teased, his fingers playing gently at Kon's ears in a way that was both soothing and deeply arousing.

"World famous?" Kon teased back, lifting an eyebrow at Tim.

"Getting there, anyway," Tim said carelessly. "So why now? What changed?"

"You," Kon admitted. "I never— You're the first person I wanted... like this."

"Well thank god," Tim said with a wry smile. "Because I very much want you too."

Kon huffed out a laugh then but it turned into something closer to a sob when Tim dipped his head and started kissing his way down Kon's neck again. His mouth moved hot and fast down to Kon's chest, playing at his nipples and sweeping across his pectoral muscles.

Kon's breathing was getting ragged and he could feel his erection pulsing with each beat of his heart, dripping and slick. When Tim dropped to his knees in the shower, Kon gasped. Tim ran his tongue, firm and slick, along the underside of Kon's ribcage. Then kissed his way to Kon's hipbone as he took Kon's erection into his hand.

Kon gasp, his hips arching, pushing himself deeper into Tim's fist. Tim's hand was warm and from on Kon's erection.

"Tim—" Kon gasped out, his voice higher than he meant it to be. "Tim I—"

"Don't worry," Tim said, looking up at Kon with that mischievous smile on his face. "Everything's under control." Tim ran his thumb over the tip of Kon's erection, swiping at the come there and making Kon shudder. "First, I'm going to make you come all over me..."

"Rao..." Kon bit out, a flash of heat and arousal flowing through him at Tim's words.

"Then I'm going to introduce you to the wonderful world of 'round two'..." Tim husked.

Before Kon could ask what that meant, Tim had leaned forward, taking Kon's erection into his mouth. Kon let out a wordless shout and hands, sunk into Tim's hair without his conscious thought. Tim hummed approvingly around Kon's erection and he started to move.

Tim's mouth was hot and slick and perfect. Kon wanted to tell him that, he wanted to tell Tim how good he felt, how perfect. He wanted to tell Tim not to stop, never to stop. That he needed Tim, needed him in ways he didn't understand but knew in his soul were huge and important.

Kon sobbed as Tim took him in deep, rocking Kon in and out of his mouth in a steady, even rhythm. He looked so beautiful, on his knees in front of Kon, those deep blue eyes solely focused on Kon's face as he worked Kon's erection with his mouth and hands. The sight of Tim, slick and wet, mouth wrapped around him that drove Kon to...

That electric heat clashed through Kon again and he cursed in Kryptonian as he came. His erection pulsed as Tim pulled back, letting Kon's come spatter his chest and neck.

"Rao..." Kon said again, panting as Tim smiled smugly up at him with a slightly swollen mouth, Kon's come painting dripping patterns across his chest. Tim leaned in to nuzzle at Kon's cock and give it one last gentle before getting to his feet.

Tim looked very pleased with himself but there was also an edge to his smile. An edge he didn't quite understand until he leaned down to lick a spot of his come off of Tim's shoulder.

"Fuck," Tim hissed through clenched teeth. He had shut his eyes and his body was tense with...

Arousal.

Suddenly feeling a little more confident, Kon took Tim by the hips and pulled him close.

"That was," Kon asked, hesitantly. "Was that ok?"

"It was," Tim said, laughing breathlessly, "very, very hot. So way past ok."

Kon hummed, feeling a little pleased with himself as he pulled Tim even closer, lifting Tim off his feet and pressing him tight against Kon's body. Kon had lifted Tim so Tim's face was slightly higher than Kon's own.

Tim's eyes were wide with surprise as Kon held him in place with one arm and his TTK, holding Tim in the perfect position for Kon to wrap one hand around Tim's erection.

"Oh, Fuck," Tim hissed out again, wrapping his arms around Kon's neck and resting his forehead against Kon's.

"I like it when you swear like that."

"Good," Tim husked, "because I'm not totally sure I could stop if you asked."

Kon huffed out a laugh and moved his hand tentatively over Tim's erection. Tim felt perfect in his hand, his erection was hot and firm. Tim felt, as always, like a mix of contradictions to Kon. So strong and yet so delicate at the same time.

Kon moved his hand over Tim, trying to be gentle and slow. He was worried that he would hurt Tim.

Tim let out a small, breathless cry and rocked into Kon's fist, straining against the grip Kon's TTK had on him. Kon looked up to see Tim's cheeks were flushed, his eyes were shut tight and he was biting down hard on his lower lip. His muscles were tense and he looked...

Beautiful.

"Is this ok?" Kon husked.

Tim looked down at him and the burning brightness in his eyes made Kon shiver.

"Faster. You can go... You can go faster," Tim said but his voice was tight as if he was trying to keep himself from begging.

Kon swallowed hard and moved faster.

He moved his hand over Tim in a steady rhythm, letting up just enough with his TTK that Tim could rock forward and meet his fist with a steady thrust of his hips. Watching Tim like that, striving, moving, fucking Kon's hand as he gave himself over to a wave of passion made Kon's head swim.

When Tim cried out, he called Kon's name, high and plaintive, desperate as he rocked his hips and came all over Kon's chest. Shivering, he clutched at Kon, eyes shut, breathing hard.

"Fuck," he said again and Kon guided him slowly back to the floor.

Tim's legs were wobbly as he grinned up at Kon. 

"That was... alright?" Kon asked, tentatively.

"That was... absolutely the first time a man has lifted me bodily into the air, held me in place with his magic powers, and then jerked me off until I almost cried. Soooo... yeah. Twelve out of ten. Would absolutely do it again. How about you?"

"Absolutely perfect," Kon said. "But I am curious about this mythical round two you spoke of..."

Tim laughed and they rinsed off. After they toweled dry, they stumbled into Kon's bed. They curled around each other, naked, warm, and flushed.

"This place is nice," Tim said sleepily, tucking his head on to Kon's shoulder. "Your apartment. I like it here. It's cozy."

Kon was about to ask him what he meant, but Tim had fallen asleep.

Guess he would have to wait until the morning to find about round two. But that was ok with him. Having Tim curled up by his side, relaxed and warm was all Kon needed. Kon drifted off to sleep moments later, feeling content and happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S OVER! Or is it~~~? 
> 
> I hope you all liked it. It was fun to write. 
> 
> I feel like I made Lex VERY, VERY MEAN so the longish Tim/Kon story I'm working on now is an AU where Lex sees Kon and his paternal instincts take over and he is a Very Good Dad who thinks Tim isn't good enough for his Sweet Sweet Kon. It's a whole thing.


End file.
